By Chinelo Obogo
The Lagos State House of Assembly has approved a bill that prescribes death for kidnappers.
The bill tagged: ‘A Law to Provide for the Prohibition of the Act of Kidnapping and for Other Connected Purposes’, makes provisions for the death penalty for suspects convicted of kidnapping, whose victims die in their custody and life sentence for those whose victims survived the ordeal.
The bill was a product of an earlier adoption of a report presented by Mrs Adefunmilayo Tejuosho, Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary, Petitions, Human Rights and Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC).
It is aimed at ensuring zero tolerance for kidnapping. It was passed after the Third Reading by the House.
The Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, who read the 20-section bill, conducted a voice vote before passage.
Obasa directed the Acting Clerk of the House, Mr Azeez Sanni, to forward a clean copy of the bill to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for assent.
The bill states that 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.