Kidnappers in Lagos May Soon Face Death Penalty.

To checkmate rising cases of kidnapping, the Lagos State House of Assembly (LAHA) has passed a bill with stiffer penalties including death sentence for offenders.

The lawmakers, after the third reading of the bill, passed it to Provide for the Prohibition of the Act of Kidnapping and for Other Connected Purposes.

A report presented by Mrs Adefunmilayo Tejuosho, the Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary, Petitions, Human Rights and Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), were part of the reason the bill was adopted by the lawmakers.

The bill which was sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, prescribes death sentence for kidnappers whose victims die in their custody and life sentence for kidnappers whose victims do not die in the hands of their abductors.

The bill further states that “any person who kidnaps, abducts, detains, captures or takes another person by any means or trick with intent to demand ransom or do anything against his/her will, commits an offence”.

It also proposes life imprisonment for anyone who makes an attempt to kidnap another person and prescribes seven years imprisonment for anyone making false representation to release a kidnapped or abducted person.