14th July, 2020
Anyone convicted of kidnapping in Nigeria will now face life imprisonment, the Nigerian Senate prescribed on Tuesday.
The lawmakers nullified the 10 year imprisonment slammed on kidnappers and raised it to be life imprisonment to deter belligerent Nigerians from going into the act of kidnapping.
The upper chamber also deleted the statute of limitation on defilement as well removed gender restrictions on the offences of rape.
The resolutions of the Senate followed the third reading and passage of “A bill for an Act to amend the Criminal Code Act CAP. C.38, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2004.”
The Bill was sponsored by Senator Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central).
The bill sought to delete the statute of limitation on defilement, increase punishment for the offence of kidnapping, and remove gender restrictions in the offence of rape and other related matters.