Senate Recommends Death Penalty for Kidnappers

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Thursday, May 5th, 2016

Ayodele Afolabi, Abuja

Senate on Wednesday descended seriously on those kidnapping innocent people as it recommended death penalty for kidnappers in the country.

The decision followed the consideration of a report on kidnapping compiled by a Committee headed by Senator Abu Ibrahim ( APC Katsina South)

One of the recommendation of report, the Senators adopted was recommending a death sentence for abductors in the country, which was proposed by Sen. Adamu Aliero (APC-Kebbi Central).

While contributing to the report, the Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio(Akwa Ibom-PDP), regretted that kidnapping escalated in Nigeria when ex-Governor and now Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige was kidnapped around 2002.

Other recommendations adopted by the Senate were that : “The funding of the security agencies should be taken as a priority project, bearing in mind that the practice of envelop budget for security agencies have proved ineffective.

The Senate also recommended that efforts should be geared towards creating employment opportunities for our teeming unemployed youths and security agencies should embark on training and retraining of theor personnel for effective capacity building.

The Senate also tasked “State governments to enact laws to enable security agencies to prosecute kidnappers and other crime related offences in their jurisdictions”.

It in also addition, recommended that “synergy and intelligence sharing among security agencies should be vigorously pursued” and that “the Inspector General of Police and Director-General of the Department of State Security in particular and other security agencies should be encouraged to do more”.

The Senate stated that “It appears the security agencies have not been able to perform optimally due to inadequate funding to enable them procure modern technology and equipment” and observed that “it appears to be unnecessary and unhealthy rivalry amongst the security agencies leading to lack of required synergy and intelligence sharing on time”.

Senate however regretted that “relations of the victims are always ready to pay ransom which tend to encourage the criminals”.