The Senate on Thursday took a major step toward strengthening Nigeria’s legal framework against insecurity as it introduced a bill seeking to amend the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act.
The amendment bill, sponsored by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, scaled first reading barely 24 hours after lawmakers debated worsening insecurity across the country, with particular emphasis on kidnapping.
The proposed legislation aims to classify kidnapping as an act of terrorism and prescribe the death penalty upon conviction.
During Wednesday’s debate, several senators demanded a sterner legal approach to kidnapping, insisting that the maximum penalty should apply whether or not the victim dies in captivity.
The Senate, in its resolution, also urged an immediate amendment of the terrorism law to reflect this position.
Presiding over plenary, Senate President Godswill Akpabio directed Bamidele to present an amendment bill “as soon as practicable,” asserting that kidnapping must henceforth attract the highest punishment.
Akpabio stated, “A very serious amendment has been proposed that the penalty for kidnapping should be death. It has also been agreed that kidnapping be classified first as a terrorist act, and once established by law, the punishment must follow. There should be no discretion. The judiciary should adhere strictly.”
Bamidele, responding to the directive, presented the amendment bill on Thursday.
Under the current law, kidnapping that leads to the death of a victim attracts the death penalty, while cases without fatalities carry a sentence of life imprisonment.
The law also criminalises ransom payments, prescribing a minimum 15-year jail term for offenders.
However, the proposed amendment seeks to categorise every act of kidnapping as terrorism and impose the death penalty irrespective of whether a victim survives or not.
The bill is expected to generate robust debate when it comes up for second reading.