Lagos State House Of Assembly Approves Death Sentence For Kidnappers

On Monday, November 28, the Lagos State House of Assembly passed a bill approving death sentence for kidnappers, whose victims died in their custody.

The bill was sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, and it approves life sentence to kidnappers, whose victims did not die in their custody, News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports.

The approval followed the adoption of a report on a bill entitled; ”A Bill for a Law to Provide for the Prohibition of the Act of Kidnapping and for Other Connected Purposes.”

The bill also states that any person, who kidnaps, abducts, detains, captures or takes another person by any means or tricks with intent to demand ransom or do anything against his/her will, commits an offence, and liable on conviction to death sentence.

The bill is also against false representation to release a kidnapped or abducted person. This attracts seven years imprisonment. The lawmakers also approved 25 years imprisonment to whoever threatens to kidnap another person through phone call, e-mail, text message or any other means of communication.

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The bill provides that any person, who knowingly or willfully allows or permits his premises, building or a place or belonging to which he has control of, to be used for the purposes of keeping a person kidnapped is guilty of an offence under the law and liable to 14 years imprisonment without an option of fine.

The bill, which is aimed at ensuring zero tolerance for kidnapping, however, awaits third reading before it will be sent to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for assent.