Bauchi Governor approves death sentence for kidnapping

Kidnapping in Bauchi State is now punishable with death or life imprisonment as Gov. Mohammed Abdullahi signed into law a bill in that direction.

The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Ibrahim Umar, made this known on Tuesday while briefing newsmen in Bauchi.

He said that Abdullahi also assented to bills on fisheries and accidents.

Umar said that the governor assented to the bills on Monday.

“Whoever is guilty of the offence of kidnapping shall be punished with life imprisonment.

“If the victim dies as a result of the kidnapping, the offender shall be punished with death."

According to Umar, whoever seizes, confines, tricks, abducts or carries away anybody and holds to ransom or otherwise with or without a weapon, commits the offence of kidnapping.

Umar said that the state government also signed into law a bill for provision of free emergency treatment to accident victims within 24 hours of occurrence.

He said that the government would provide for each public hospitals, an accident and emergency unit, intensive care unit and a blood bank equipped with personnel and effective communication gadgets.

“The law stated that the state government shall provide funds and logistics for joint patrol of the hospital management board and Federal Road Safety Corps for rescuing accident victims in the three senatorial districts of the state.

“Any government hospital that fails to accept an accident victim shall have its officers on duty that day punished according to civil service rules, including reduction in rank," he said.

He said that the law applied to all accidents including domestic fire, industrial fire, plane crash, flood disaster, snake bite, dog bite, rainstorm, bomb blasts and gunshot.

The attorney-general also said that the governor assented to the state Fisheries and other Related Matters Bill.

According to him, the law is to regulate fisheries in order to promote a healthy lifestyle and ensure that fishes would be free from contamination.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Lagos State has also approved death sentence for kidnapping.

Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode on Feb. 1, assented to the state’s Kidnaping Prohibition Bill, 2016, which provides for death penalty for kidnappers whose victims will die in their custody, and life imprisonment for the act of kidnapping.