Lagos State Governor Ambode |
Lagos State Government may soon join the growing number of states such as Edo, Ogun and Anambra that have imposed death sentence on kidnappers.
According to a private member bill
sponsored by the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon.
Mudashiru Obasa, 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 commit an offence, and liable on
conviction to death sentence.
The bill went through a public hearing
on yesterday at the Lateef jakande Auditorium within the Assembly
premises with some stakeholders in attendance.
Attempt to kidnap is also criminalised
under the bill and it was suggested that such a person would be
committed to life imprisonment.
Also, the bill is against false
representation to release a kidnapped or abducted person under Section
4, and this attracts seven years imprisonment.
Furthermore, the bill provides that any
person, who knowingly or wilfully allows or permits his premises,
building or a place belonging or occupied 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 on conviction to a term of imprisonment
of 14 years without an option of fine.
A legal practitioner, Mr Richard
Komolafe from the United Action for Change (UAC), who spoke at the
stakeholders meeting, commended the bill but said that death sentence
was no longer fashionable all over the world.
”Hanging itself is inhuman
by conventions as against life imprisonment. I appreciate this bill, it
is very timely, but we hope it will be passed in time.”
*Story from The Nation
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