By Ikugbadi Oluwasegun
Strong backlash dominated the Senate Committees on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters public hearing on Legal Practitioners Act and Terrorism Act. The Committee had recommended death penalty for kidnapping but justice bodies warned it won’t stop the crime.
The session reviewed amendments to the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act to cover kidnapping offences. But the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, and the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, and others rejected it outright.
They cited evidence and Nigeria’s track record, saying capital punishment fails as a deterrent. Instead, it risks overloading the justice system and ignoring root causes of violent crime. The Senate will deliberate on these submissions before deciding.
