Enugu State Government on Tuesday revealed plans to pull down properties, whether private residences or business premises, used for kidnap purposes.
Disclosing this in a statement, the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Chidiebere Onyia, said the step was in continuation of the determined effort of the Governor Peter Mbah Administration to rid the state of all forms of crimes and criminalities.
He warned property owners to take necessary steps to know their prospective tenants before leasing properties to them.
“Now, after due diligence, the government has compiled the properties used for kidnapping purposes in recent times and they will go down sooner than later to serve as a deterrent to others,” Onyia said.
“There is no hiding place for criminal elements in Enugu State. They either repent, leave town or meet their Waterloo. The choice is theirs.”
Recall that the Enugu State House of Assembly had in November 2016 amended the Criminal Code Law of Enugu State, which was subsequently signed into Law by the former governor, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, on 20th January 2017.
Section 315 of the Criminal Code (Second Amendment) Law Cap. 30, Laws of Enugu State, currently provides, “If the building or structure owned by the offender or any other person, who knows or ought to reasonably know that the building or structure is so being used for that purpose, the building or structure shall be demolished or forfeited to the State Government.”
Enugu citizens have therefore wondered why the government is yet to enforce it eight years after.
Responding to the citizen agitations over what they perceived as a lukewarm attitude to the law, the state government said it was taking time to carry out due diligence to ensure that nobody suffers undue losses or miscarriage of justice.