Senate Moves to Impose Death Penalty on Kidnappers, Financiers, Informants
In a renewed effort to curb Nigeria’s rising insecurity, the Senate on Wednesday pushed forward a bill seeking to impose the death penalty on kidnappers and anyone who finances, supports, or facilitates kidnapping operations.
The proposal was debated extensively during plenary as lawmakers considered amendments to the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
Leading the debate, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele explained that kidnapping has evolved into a highly organised, commercialised, and militarised form of violence affecting every region of the country.
He noted that the crime now bears all the characteristics of terrorism, having caused widespread fear, disrupted education, crippled businesses, reduced agricultural output, overstretched security agencies, and forced countless families into financial hardship through ransom payments.
Bamidele said the scale of the crisis demands a stronger and more strategic legal response. According to him, treating kidnapping as a regular criminal offence is no longer sufficient, given its destructive impact on communities and the nation’s economy.
The proposed amendment therefore seeks to reclassify kidnapping, hostage-taking, and related offences as acts of terrorism and recommends the death penalty without the option of a fine or alternative sentence.
During the debate, lawmakers across political lines expressed support for the tougher measures.
Senators Adams Oshiomhole, Orji Uzor Kalu, and Abba Moro were among those who emphasised the need to disrupt not only the perpetrators but also the sophisticated network of collaborators who enable the crime.
They argued that anyone who finances kidnapping, acts as an informant, provides transportation or logistics, shelters perpetrators, or knowingly aids and abets the operation should face the same penalty as the kidnappers themselves.
The bill also extends this punishment to individuals who attempt, conspire, or incite others to commit kidnapping.
Presiding over the session, Senate President Godswill Akpabio approved the amendments in principle and referred the bill to the Senate Committees on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters; National Security and Intelligence; and Interior for further legislative action.
The committees have been directed to conduct public hearings and return their findings within two weeks.
If passed into law, the amendment would grant security agencies broader operational authority and enhanced intelligence capabilities under counter-terrorism provisions, strengthening national efforts to dismantle kidnapping syndicates.
The Senate emphasized that the move is part of a broader commitment to restoring safety, curbing violent crime, and reinforcing Nigeria’s legal framework against terrorism.
