The Senate yesterday considered a Bill that seeks to prohibit the payment and receipt of ransom for the release of any person kidnapped, imprisoned, or wrongfully confined.
The Senate President’s Special Assistant (Press), Ezrel Tabiowo, in a statement issued yesterday, said the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which scaled second reading during plenary, is sponsored by Senator Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi.
Leading a debate on the Bill, the lawmaker said the piece of legislation seeks to amend the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2013, to outlaw the payment of ransom to abductors, kidnappers and terrorists for the release of any person who has been wrongfully confined, imprisoned or kidnapped.
According to Onyewuchi, the Bill essentially seeks to substitute for section 14 of the Principal Act a new section to read: “Anyone who transfers funds, makes payment or colludes with an abductor, kidnapper or terrorist to receive any ransom for the release of any person who has been wrongfully confined, imprisoned or kidnapped is guilty of a felony and is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than 15 years”.
He raised the alarm that kidnapping has become a fast and lucrative business, adding that, “it has now remained the most virulent form of banditry in Nigeria and the most pervasive and intractable violent crime in the country”. Attributing the spate of kidnappings in the country to factors such as corruption, unemployment, poverty and the connivance of security agents, Onyewuchi lamented that the frequency at which persons are kidnapped daily puts most Nigerians at risk.
The Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Bill, 2021, after scaling the second reading, was referred by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, to the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters for further legislative work.
The Committee, which is chaired by Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, is expected to report back in four weeks.
