Niger Assembly Prescribes Capital Punishment for Bandits, Kidnappers, Informants

Laleye Dipo

The Niger State House of Assembly has passed a bill imposing capital punishment on kidnappers, bandits, and their informants.

By the provision of the bill, anyone found guilty of kidnapping, banditry, and of being their informants will face a death sentence.

The bill, if assented to by the Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Bello, will check the increasing wave of kidnapping and banditry in the state and strengthen the fight against criminalities by the state government.

The bill states that anyone found guilty of the offence of banditry, kidnapping, or giving out information that results in kidnapping and banditry will be sentenced to death by hanging in public.

The bill amends the Kidnapping and Cattle Rustling (Special Provision) Law 2021.

The recommendation was made by the House Committees on Security and Intelligence and Judicial Matters when it presented its report to the House yesterday.

The Chairman of the committee, Hon.Bello Ahmad, representing Agwara Constituency, said informants were included in the bill because the information given to criminals contribute to the increasing spate of banditry and kidnapping in the state.

He stated that the guilty ones should be hanged in public to serve as a lesson to others and make them desist from partaking in criminality.

When the matter was put to vote, it was unanimously passed.

In his remarks before directing that the clean copies of the bill be prepared and sent to the governor for his assent, the Speaker of the House, Hon. Bawa Wuse, said when assented to by the governor, the law would help in reducing banditry and kidnapping in Niger State.