Niger State governor, Abubakar Bello, has signed a Bill prescribing death by hanging for cattle-rustlers, bandits, kidnappers and their informants into law.
Recall that the State’s House of Assembly passed the Bill on July 1.
Bello said the kidnapping and cattle rustling special provisions law of 2016 was amended to provide for the punishment of informants and all those involved in the aiding and abetting of kidnapping and cattle rustling in the State.
He warned that anyone found guilty of the offense of banditry, kidnapping, or giving out information to facilitate kidnapping or banditry will be sentenced to death by hanging in public.
The governor said the punitive measure became necessary owing to the security challenges that have continued to threaten peaceful co-existence in the State.
He lamented the role of informants who, according to him, have contributed to thwarting efforts of the security agencies in combating the activities of kidnappers and cattle-rustlers.
He said the vigilante amendment law is meant to invigorate and strengthen the state vigilante corps for better operational efficiency in the discharge of their statutory function of “complementing the efforts of our conventional federal security forces”.
