Niger Assembly Passes Law To Hang Kidnappers, Bandits, Informants

The Niger State House of Assembly has passed to law, the death penalty by hanging for bandits, kidnappers and informants in the state.

The lawmaker on Tuesday warned that anyone found guilty of the offense of banditry, kidnapping or giving out information to facilitate kidnapping or banditry will be sentenced to death by hanging in public.

The state Assembly said the punishment was in the recommendation made by the Committees on Security and Intelligence and Judicial Matters during the presentation of the Committee report.

The Committee Chairman, Hon. Bello Ahmad representing Agwara Constituency also stated that informants are also included because it has been discovered that the information given contributes to the rising tide of banditry and kidnapping in the state.

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Agwara explained that the guilty ones will be hanged in public to serve as a lesson to others so they can desist from partaking in the activity.

Passing the bill into law, the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Bawa Wuse explained that as soon as it is assented to by the Governor, the law would go a long way in curtailing banditry and kidnapping activities in the state.

It should be noted that Niger State has been having running battles with kidnapping and cattle rustling as even as over 11 out of 25 local government areas are said to have been overtaken by their activities.

For over four weeks 136 pupils of the Tanko Salihu Islamiyya school in Tegina were kidnapped by bandits to an unknown location.

The bandits attacked the school on the 30th of May, 2021 and the children currently remain in captivity.

The increasing activities of the criminal elements have also affected farming activities in the state, the lawmakers allege.