A bill that seeks stricter punishment for perpetrators of kidnapping passed second reading on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday.
The bill, with the title, Abduction, Wrongful Restraints and Confinement Bill 2021 sponsored by former Ogun State governor and Senator representing Ogun central, Ibikunle Amosun, proposes life imprisonment for the offence of kidnapping or any form of abduction, wrongful restraint and confinement of any individual.
Presenting his lead debate, Senator Amosun said “the highest term of imprisonment prescribed for kidnapping in the Criminal and penal Code Acts is ten years” and further submitted that “the light punishment against these offences has not helped in deterring the spate of abductions and kidnappings that have now become prevalent in the country.”
The lawmaker recalled that the offence of kidnapping which was initially peculiar in the oil-rich Niger Delta region has since assumed horrendous dimensions with a negative impact on the economy.
“The impact of kidnapping on both economic and daily life has been devastating.
“For many Nigerians, kidnapping is far more devastating than the carnage of Boko Haram in the North-East, or the carnage in the Middle Belt over land, pasture and water use between farmers and herders.
“In the rich oil South-South, kidnapping is often seen as a manifestation of the insurrection over how oil revenue is distributed.
“Over time, the pool of potential victims has shockingly been expanded. Most victims are often poor villagers, sometimes kidnapped indiscriminately, a departure from the targeted kidnapping of wealthy people. They struggle to pay ransoms because of their relative poverty, and this has resulted in many victims being killed in the process,” he said.
Amosun lamented that “Nigeria has one of the rates of kidnapping for ransom of both locals and foreigners in all of Africa.”
He added, “while the insurgents in the North-East now thrive on the proceeds of kidnappings, criminal elements in the South-East and South-West are also having a field day. In fact, kidnapping has now become a big and lucrative business.”
He bemoaned the worrisome development, warning that the trend has the potential of negatively affecting Nigeria’s Foreign Direct Investment.
The lawmaker stated that the bill, therefore, seeks to introduce stiffer punishment for the offence of abduction, wrongful restraint and confinement for ransom.
“This bill also provides more punitive measures for ancillary crimes flowing from the commission of the crime of abduction, like death or grievous harm.
“To achieve the deterrent effect, life imprisonment is proposed for the offence of kidnapping, particularly where death results from the act.
“The law is made stricter by ensuring that recipients of any proceeds of the act of kidnapping are heavily sanctioned with a term of imprisonment of up to 30 years,” Amosun said.
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, referred the bill after it was exhaustively debated, to the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters.
The committee which is chaired by Senator Michael Bamidele was given four weeks to report back to the upper chamber.
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