The Senate on Wednesday passed a resolution declaring kidnapping an act of terrorism, mandating an amendment to the Terrorism Act to impose the death penalty as the maximum punishment.
Under the new resolution, once a kidnapping conviction is confirmed, the death penalty must be applied, according to the upper legislative chamber.
Nigeria continues to grapple with a persistent security crisis driven by violent “bandit” gangs that raid villages, kill civilians, and abduct people for ransom.
In response to recent kidnappings and attacks, President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday ordered a full security cordon over forests in Kwara State to curb terrorist activity.
Series of abductions
Bandits recently attacked the Isapa community in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, abducting 11 residents. This came just two weeks after 38 worshippers were kidnapped from a Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in the Eruku community of the same state.
Terrorists also struck St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State, abducting more than 300 students and staff, marking a resurgence of mass kidnappings in the country.
Earlier in the week, 24 schoolgirls were abducted from the Government Comprehensive Girls Secondary School in Maga, Danko Wasagu Local Government Area, Kebbi State, but were freed on Tuesday. At St. Mary’s Catholic School, at least 50 abductees escaped, though over 265 children and teachers remain in captivity.
Nigeria’s most high-profile mass kidnapping occurred in 2014, when Boko Haram abducted 276 schoolgirls from their dormitories in Chibok, North-East Nigeria. More than a decade later, many of the Chibok girls are still missing.
