Senate Seeks Amendment to Terrorism Law, Moves To Make Kidnapping A Capital Offence

The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday approved a resolution declaring kidnapping and related banditry as
acts of terrorism and asked that the Terrorism (Prevention) Act be amended to impose the maximum
penalty, death, for perpetrators, with no option for a fine.
The upper chamber also urged President Bola Tinubu to restructure the country’s security architecture
and pledged legislative support for stronger action against insecurity.
During plenary the Senate adopted a motion that:

• Treats kidnapping and banditry as terrorism and calls for the Terrorism Act to be amended
  accordingly; and
• Recommends that courts should impose the death penalty for kidnapping-related offences once the
  law is amended, reportedly with no option of fine or judicial reduction.

Senate leaders directed that a formal amendment bill be prepared and brought forward “in the shortest
possible time,” asking the Senate Leader to take steps to introduce the legislative text.
Lawmakers said the resolution was driven by the recent spike in mass abductions, school kidnappings
and violent raids across several states — events that have provoked public outrage and calls for tougher
deterrence.

Senators argued stricter punishment and classifying kidnapping as terrorism would deter criminals and
choke the ransom economy that, they say, fuels further attacks.
It is important to note the distinction between a Senate resolution and a change in the law:
The Senate’s action is a formal resolution and a call for legislative amendment — not an immediate
change in criminal law. The Terrorism (Prevention) Act must be amended by the National Assembly and
signed by the President before the proposed penalties take legal effect.

Alongside the sentencing proposal, the Senate urged President Tinubu to revise Nigeria’s security
architecture to improve coordination between the military, police and intelligence agencies.
Senators said they would support the executive’s efforts to strengthen security while demanding better
results in arresting and prosecuting perpetrators.
The resolution has generated immediate debate:

• Supporters say very stiff penalties are needed to break the kidnapping-for-ransom economy and to
  reassure terrified communities.
• Critics and legal experts warn that mandatory capital punishment raises serious human-rights and due-
  process concerns, and that harsh penalties alone may not address root causes such as impunity,
  corruption, financing networks, and weak policing.
  Civil-liberty groups typically call for careful legal drafting, safeguards against miscarriages of justice, and
  a focus on intelligence-led investigations.

The resolution directs Senate leadership to draft and fast-track an amendment to the Terrorism
(Prevention) Act. If a formal bill is introduced, it will follow the normal legislative process — committee
review, floor debate in both chambers, reconciliation (if needed), and the President’s assent — before
becoming law.
Observers say that process could take weeks to months, and will likely attract intense public, legal and
international scrutiny.

By Oyinkansola Shittu.

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