The Senate’s fresh move to impose the death penalty for kidnapping and banditry has sparked a nationwide debate, drawing criticism from human rights advocates, legal scholars and community leaders who argue that the measure will not curb Nigeria’s deepening insecurity crisis.
Naijaonpoint reports that Nigeria has, for years, battled a surge in banditry and kidnapping, resulting in thousands of deaths, economic paralysis and widespread fear in affected communities.
A few days ago, the upper chamber passed for second reading a bill seeking to categorise kidnapping and hostage-taking as terrorism offences, prescribe capital punishment for offenders and empower security agencies to trace and confiscate assets linked to the crimes.
The proposed law, Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Amendment Bill, 2025 (SB.969), was sponsored by the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central), and co-sponsored by 108 senators.
‘Kidnapping Has Become a Commercialised National Menace’ – Bamidele
Leading the debate, Bamidele said the amendment was a direct legislative response to one of the country’s most devastating threats.
He warned that kidnapping had “transformed from isolated acts into a commercialised, militarised and well-coordinated national menace,” which has claimed thousands of lives, crippled businesses and overstretched security agencies.
According to him, the bill aims to empower law enforcement through asset tracing, forfeiture and intelligence-driven operations.
“The bill seeks to designate kidnapping and hostage-taking as acts of terrorism, prescribe the death penalty without option of fine and empower security agencies to dismantle kidnapping networks,” he stated.
He added that a terrorism designation would give prosecutors broader powers to fast-track trials and choke off financing for criminal groups.
Lawmakers across party lines described the bill as urgent and necessary “to save lives.”
The Senate Chief Whip, Tahir Monguno, also praised the reforms embedded in the bill. He highlighted its push for continuous legal education to keep Nigerian lawyers aligned with global technological standards.
He further noted the expanded powers granted to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, which will now more effectively investigate and sanction professional misconduct.
Human Rights Experts Kick
Despite broad political support, the bill has met strong opposition from rights advocates, most notably renowned human rights scholar and former UN Senior Envoy, Prof. Uchenna Emelonye, of Bournemouth University, UK.
Emelonye warned that Nigeria risks violating its international human rights commitments by expanding the death penalty.
He argued that the proposal contradicts the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Nigeria ratified in 1993, as well as global norms against capital punishment.
“Expanding the death penalty is a regressive, ineffective and legally questionable response to kidnapping,” he said.
“This amendment places Nigeria in direct conflict with international human rights jurisprudence and threatens to reverse decades of global progress toward ending capital punishment.”
‘Death Penalty Does Not Deter Crime’
Emelonye also dismissed claims that executions would deter kidnappers, citing the fragility of the Nigerian justice system.
“Nigeria cannot hope to deter crimes through executions. What is needed is investment in policing, intelligence and justice-sector reforms,” he argued.
He warned that with torture-based confessions, weak investigations and poor legal representation still common, “expanding capital punishment increases the danger of wrongful executions.”
He noted that several African countries, including Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia and the Central African Republic, have abolished the death penalty without experiencing increased violent crime.
Emelonye urged lawmakers to instead invest in community policing, socio-economic interventions and improved control of small arms.
Gumi, Others Call for Dialogue, Not Death Penalty
Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmad Gumi also opposed the amendment, insisting that addressing the root causes of banditry remains the only sustainable solution.
According to him, inequality, poverty, marginalisation, and lack of opportunities are the major drivers of kidnapping and rural violence.
Gumi insisted the death penalty could worsen the crisis rather than resolve it.
He has long advocated dialogue and social investment, maintaining that bandits would willingly disarm if granted fair treatment and reintegration support.
Public Concerns Over Fairness, Selective Justice
Several Nigerians on social media have also challenged the Senate’s approach, citing disparities in sentencing for various crimes and questioning the effectiveness of severe punishments in a judicial system plagued by inequity.
Some critics argue that adopting capital punishment without first fixing the justice system would only deepen existing inequalities.
Even within the Senate, disagreements emerged over the rush to push the bill forward. Senator Adams Oshiomhole objected to the voice vote used, stressing that matters involving life and death must not be handled hastily.
But despite the opposition, the dominant sentiment among senators, state governors and several South-West leaders has been strongly in favour of adopting the death penalty as a deterrent against kidnapping.
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