IGP Pushes For Death Penalty For Kidnappers

The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim
Idris, is pushing for stricter laws on
kidnapping.

While meeting with Commissioners of Police
and other senior officers of the Force in
Abuja yesterday, the IGP urged the National
Assembly to enact stricter laws. He stated
that the evil act is thriving because there are
no laws in place to tackle it.
He said: “When I went to the National
Assembly, I told them that what we need to
challenge kidnapping is punishment. I think
these boys see us parade people but they
don’t see them taken to court or sentenced
to death. In some states where kidnapping
leads to death of somebody, the penalty is
death but they only see the court sentencing
such persons to 10 years or life
imprisonment.
“I feel that is why they feel more relaxed and
I told the National Assembly that we need to
have more stringent punishment for
kidnappers. I think that is the only way to
check the menace because they see it as
child’s play. If you go all over the Command
across the states, you would discover that
some of these youths are getting more
involved in kidnapping. Like I told the
National Assembly, I believe if we can get
laws to check it, we are going to see several
changes. In Niger Republic, a Boko Haram
suspect was arrested and within one week,
judgement was passed. That sent a very
strong message that whoever that is
planning to go into it should desist but here,
we have suspects year in, year out,
appearing in in court and matter continually
adjourned.”
He continued: “It does not serve as
deterrent to them and even most of them
kept in police cells are more comfortable
there. So, I think to address the level of
kidnapping in the country, a law should be
passed.”

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