Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River has chosen to go tough on kidnappers by stipulating capital punishment for convicted kidnappers in the state.
The governor on Wednesday, July 1, sent an executive bill to the House of Assembly stipulating a death penalty for those convicted of kidnapping for consideration and passage, Premium Times report.
Explaining the rational for his tough stand, the governor in a statement said the capital punishment will reduce incidence of kidnapping in the state.
In addition to stipulating the capital punishment, the proposed bill also seeks to empower the state government to seize property belonging to convicted kidnappers and other criminals.
Citizens who assist security agencies with information on the activities of criminals will also be rewarded under the proposed law.
Governor Ben Ayade said the measures were necessary to stamp out any act of lawlessness in view of ongoing effort at re-engineering the state’s economy.
In bid to make the state secure more, the governor has set up a security task-force, named Operation Skolombo, with retired Gen. Mannings Nyiam as its chairman.
In recent weeks, kidnappings have been on the rise in some parts of the country, recently the former acting first Lady in Bayelsa state, Martha Binabo, was abducted in broad daylight at the Azikoro/Agbura communities’ road, about five kilometres away from Goodluck Jonathan’s Otuoke home.
Yesterday, Mary Enwongolu, a House of Representatives candidate on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in Nasarawa state was kidnapped by gunmen and is yet to regain her freedom.
Explaining the rational for his tough stand, the governor in a statement said the capital punishment will reduce incidence of kidnapping in the state.
In addition to stipulating the capital punishment, the proposed bill also seeks to empower the state government to seize property belonging to convicted kidnappers and other criminals.
Citizens who assist security agencies with information on the activities of criminals will also be rewarded under the proposed law.
Governor Ben Ayade said the measures were necessary to stamp out any act of lawlessness in view of ongoing effort at re-engineering the state’s economy.
In bid to make the state secure more, the governor has set up a security task-force, named Operation Skolombo, with retired Gen. Mannings Nyiam as its chairman.
In recent weeks, kidnappings have been on the rise in some parts of the country, recently the former acting first Lady in Bayelsa state, Martha Binabo, was abducted in broad daylight at the Azikoro/Agbura communities’ road, about five kilometres away from Goodluck Jonathan’s Otuoke home.
Yesterday, Mary Enwongolu, a House of Representatives candidate on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in Nasarawa state was kidnapped by gunmen and is yet to regain her freedom.
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