Lagos Assembly Prescribes Death Penalty For Kidnappers
on Thursday passed a law aimed at
checking the spate of kidnapping in
the state , with stiffer penalties
including death sentence for
offenders.
The lawmakers passed the Bill for a
Law to Provide for the Prohibition
of the Act of Kidnapping and for
Other Connected Purposes after the
third reading.
The passage of the bill was also
sequel to the adoption of a report
presented by Mrs Adefunmilayo
Tejuosho, the Chairman of the House
Committee on Judiciary, Petitions,
Human Rights and Lagos State
Independent Electoral Commission
(LASIEC).
Sponsored by the Speaker of the
House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, it
prescribes death sentence for
kidnappers whose victims die in
their custody and life sentence for
kidnappers whose victims do not die
in the hands of their abductors.
The bill states that any person who
kidnaps, abducts, detains, captures
or takes another person by any
means or trick with intent to
demand ransom or do anything
against his/her will, commits an
offence.
The bill also stipulates life
imprisonment for anyone who
makes an attempt to kidnap another
person.
NAN reports that the bill prescribes
seven years imprisonment for
anyone making false representation
to release a kidnapped or abducted
person.
The lawmakers also approved 25
years imprisonment as penalty for
anyone found guilty of threatening
to kidnap another person through
phone call, e-mail, text message or
any other means of communication.
The bill prescribes penalty for 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 purpose of keeping a person
kidnapped.
According to the bill, such a person
is guilty of an offence under the law
and liable to 14 years imprisonment
without an option of fine.
The speaker, who read the 20
sections of the bill one after the
other for members’ approval,
conducted a voice vote before its
passage.
Obasa directed the Acting Clerk of
the House, Mr Azeez Sanni, to
forward a clean copy of the bill to
Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode for
assent.
NAN recalls that Lagos State has
recorded recurrent cases of
kidnappings, with the incident
affecting students in two schools in
2016.
In February 2016, three schoolgirls
were seized from Babington
Macaulay Junior Seminary, Ikorodu,
but were later freed by the police.
In October, gunmen stormed the
Lagos Model College, Igbonla,
Ikorodu, and took away the vice
principal, a teacher and four
students.
They were also after several days.
NAN reports that kidnappers also
stormed the palace of a traditional
ruler, the Oniba of Iba, Yishau
Goriola Oseni, in July and abducted
him.
His release was later secured and
several persons are on trial over the
kidnap.
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