Senate moves to tag kidnapping as act of terrorism

The Senate on Wednesday passed for second reading a bill seeking to designate kidnapping as an act of terrorism.

The bill was sponsored by the Senate Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, and co-sponsored by 108 senators.

The legislation is titled: “A bill for an Act to Amend the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act to Designate Kidnapping, Hostage-Taking and Related Offences as Acts of Terrorism…To Prescribe Death Penalty for Such Offences Without Option of Fine or Alternative Sentence; And For Related Matters, 2025”.

The proposed amendment is also seeking death penalty for kidnappers and anyone who aids or supports kidnapping operations.

Leading the debate on the bill during plenary, Bamidele said the growing sophistication and brutality of kidnapping across Nigeria necessitated the reclassification of the crime as terrorism.

He said kidnapping networks have evolved into “coordinated, commercialised, and militarised” criminal enterprises.

“Kidnapping has instilled widespread fear, disrupted economic activities, bankrupted families, and claimed countless lives. The patterns now bear all the characteristics of terrorism. Our legal framework must reflect the magnitude of the threat,” he said.

He explained that designating kidnapping as terrorism would grant law enforcement agencies broader powers, including asset tracing and forfeiture, intelligence-led operations, enhanced inter-agency collaboration, and faster pre-trial procedures.

The proposed amendment prescribes the death penalty for perpetrators, financiers, informants, logistics providers, harbourers, transporters, and anyone who knowingly supports kidnapping operations. It provides that attempts, conspiracy or incitement to kidnap would attract the same punishment.

“No innocent person or community is targeted. This bill targets violent offenders and the networks that enable them, while preserving constitutional safeguards for fair trial,” Bamidele said.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio referred the bill to the Committees on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, National Security and Intelligence, and Interior for further legislative work, directing them to report back within two weeks.

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