The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has adopted a sweeping resolution to amend the nation’s anti-terror laws, declaring that all kidnapping offences be re-classified as acts of terrorism and mandating the death penalty for convicted offenders.
The decision announced during plenary under the leadership of Godswill Akpabio came after lawmakers voiced deep frustration with the recent wave of abductions, bandit attacks, killings, and mass kidnappings that have gripped various states. Under the proposed changes, once a court convicts an individual of kidnapping, the death sentence will be mandatory with no option for fine or judicial reduction.
The burden to draft the amendment was placed on the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, who was instructed to prepare the relevant bill urgently.
Senators backing the move argued that existing punishments under the law including long-term imprisonment have failed to deter criminals, especially given the rising sophistication of kidnappers and terrorist-style networks operating across forest corridors, highways and vulnerable communities.Beyond the death-penalty proposal, the Senate also resolved to strengthen national security architecture: calling for expanded aerial surveillance, formation of joint task forces, tightening of intelligence operations, support for local vigilante networks, and a review of firearms laws to allow regulated ownership in certain cases.
The move represents one of the most drastic legislative responses yet to Nigeria’s entrenched security crisis reflecting the urgency and pressure lawmakers say comes from repeated attacks on schools, villages, transit corridors, and communities across many states.
