- Nigeria’s House of Representatives has voted in favour of a bill prescribing a life imprisonment for those found guilty of kidnapping and hostage taking.
The proposed legislation, now on the second reading, provides that a person who makes attempt to kidnap anybody will be liable to 10 years imprisonment; while any person who receives money or property delivered as reward or ransom for any kidnap offence will be liable to a five-year jail term or an option of fine not exceeding naira 500,000 (about US$ 3,300).
Leading debate on the Bill, Friday Itulah, a former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, said kidnapping has done much damage to the Nigerian society, stating that the menace is threatening livelihoods of Nigerians.
Nigeria is ranked fourth in the world on the list of kidnapping nations after Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Mr Itulah said if conscious and proactive methods are not adopted to stem the worrisome development, Nigeria would soon become insecure for habitation and business purposes.
He suggested that sections 364 and 365 of the criminal code, Cap C38 of the laws of the Federation 2004 be repealed to make way for the proposed anti kidnapping Bill, which he said the Federal High Court shall have jurisdiction for trying offenders.
According to Mr Itulah there is hardly any day that passes without newspapers and television stations reporting cases of kidnapping, especially in the oil rich Niger Delta.
Local reports said some members had reservations on the proposed law, when deputy speaker, Usman Bayero Nafada put to question which finally led to the Bill to pass the second reading.
The Bill has been referred to the committees on justice, judiciary and police affairs for further action.
The new legislation proposed by the House of Representatives stipulates that “any person who seizes, confines, entices, decoys, abducts, conceals, kidnaps or carries away another person by any means whatsoever with intent to hold or detain; or who holds or detains that person for ransom, reward or to commit extortion or to exact from another person any money or valuable thing or any person who aids or abets any such act, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to life imprisonment”.
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