The Senate on Tuesday passed for second reading a bill that proposes life imprisonment as punitive measures for kidnapping in Nigeria.
According to the sponsor of the bill, Senator Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun Central), the bill seeks to proffer stricter and more stringent punishment for the offence of kidnappings and bring to an end the debate of the adequacy or punishment for kidnapping and other related crimes, like false imprisonment.
Senator Ibikunle said the highest term of imprisonment prescribed for kidnapping in the Criminal and penal Code Acts is 10 years.
He said 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
According to the Ogun State lawmaker, the pool of potential victims has shockingly been expanded to poor villagers, a departure from the targeted kidnapping of wealthy citizens
However, the struggle to pay ransoms because of their relative poverty has resulted in many victims being killed in the process.
According to him, Nigeria accounts for over 26% of kidnapping and ransom incidents globally, and thousands of these incidences go unreported.
