SENATE ENDORSES DEATH SENTENCE FOR KIDNAPPING

The Senate has approved death penalty for kidnappers in the country.

The Senate gave the nod yesterday after it considered a report on the crime compiled by a Committee headed by Senator Abu Ibrahim(Katsina-APC) .

In the course of debating the report, the Senators adopted a prayer recommending a death sentence for abductors in the country.

The recommendation for death penalty, as adopted by the Senate, was made by Sen. Adamu Aliero(APC-Kebbi Central).

While contributing to the report, the Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio(Akwa Ibom-PDP), regretted that kidnapping escalated in Nigeria when ex-Governor and now Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige was kidnapped around 2002.

Other recommendations adopted by the Senate adviced government to improve funding of security agencies.

“The funding of the security agencies should be taken as a priority project, bearing in mind that the practice of envelop budget for security agencies have proved ineffective.

“Efforts should be geared towards creating employment opportunities for our teeming unemployed youths and security agencies should embark on training and retraining of their personnel for effective capacity building”, the Senate recommended.

The Senate also tasked “State governments to enact laws to enable security agencies to prosecute kidnappers and other crime related offences in their jurisdictions”.

The in addition, recommended that “synergy and intelligence sharing among security agencies should be vigorously pursued” and that “the Inspector General of Police and Director-General of the Department of State Security in particular and other security agencies should be encouraged to do more”.