The Lagos State House of Assembly yesterday endorsed the death penalty for offenders as it passed the Anti-kidnapping Bill into law.
Tagged
“A bill for a law to provide for the prohibition of the act of kidnapping and
for other connected purposes”, it will become law after Governor Akinwunmi
Ambode’s assent.
The
bill prescribes death sentence for kidnappers whose victims died in their
custody. Kidnappers whose victims did not die in their custody will get life
jail.
It
was passed following the adoption of a report presented by Chairman of the
House Committee on Judiciary, Petitions, Human Rights and Lagos State
Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) Mrs Adefunmilayo Tejuosho.
Speaker
Mudasiru Obasa directed the Acting Clerk of the House, Mr Azeez Sanni, to send
a copy of the bill to Ambode for assent.
The
bill states: “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 criminalises attempt to kidnap and stipulates life imprisonment for anyone
who attempts to kidnap another person.
Also,
the bill is against false representation to release a kidnapped or abducted
person. This attracts seven years imprisonment.
The
lawmakers also approved 25 years imprisonment for 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 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
House also adopted the recommendation of its Committee on Youths and Sports on:
“A bill for a law to provide for the establishment of the Lagos State Sports
Commission and for connected purpose”.
Source:The
Nation
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Society