Be Warned: Lagos Assembly Approves Death Sentence For Kidnappers

SAN FRANCISCO, November 29, (THEWILL) – The Lagos state House of Assembly has approved death sentence for kidnappers, whose victims die in custody and life sentence for kidnappers, whose victims did not die in their custody.

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

Tejuosho had 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' which was sponsored by Mudashiru Obasa, Speaker of the House.

NAN reports that the bill 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 also criminalised any attempt to kidnap and stipulated life imprisonment for anyone who makes attempt to kidnap another person with seven years' imprisonment for false representation to release a kidnapped or abducted person.

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.

The bill provides that any person, who knowingly or wilfully 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, however, awaits third reading before it will be sent to Akinwunmi Ambode, the governor, for assent.

Story by Oputah David