Kidnappers in Lagos to die, say lawmakers

Lawmakers in Lagos State have given approval to death sentence for kidnappers, whose victims died in their custody.

This followed the adoption of a report presented by Adefunmilayo Tejuosho, chairman House Committee on Judiciary, Petitions, Human Rights and Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), today.

Tejuosho presented the report of a stakeholders meeting 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 was sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa. The bill prescribes life sentence to kidnappers, whose victims did not die in their custody.

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, which also criminalises attempt to kidnap, stipulates life imprisonment for anyone who makes an attempt to kidnap another person. Also, the bill is against false representation to release a kidnapped or abducted person. This attracts seven years imprisonment.

 

Joshua Bassey