Lagos assembly okays death penalty for kidnappers

The Lagos State House of Assembly yesterday approved the death penalty for offenders as it passed the Anti-kidnapping Bill into law.

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.

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 also prescribed 25 years imprisonment for whoever threatens to kidnap another person through phone call, e-mail, text message or any other means of communication.

Also, 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.

Sponsored by the Speaker, Mr. Mudashiru Obasa,the bill will become law after Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s assent.