The National Assembly on Wednesday called for the public identification and punishment of terrorists financers in Nigeria, as the Federal Government considers ways to confront the country’s escalating insecurity.
During their plenary sessions, both the Senate and the House of Representatives advocated for the disclosure of terrorist funders as a means of resolving the country’s security crisis.
As lawmakers examined modifications to the 2022 Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, the Senate also called for the death penalty for kidnappers and anybody who finances, assists, or provides information to them.
The plan, backed by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, wants to categorize kidnapping, hostage-taking, and associated crimes as terrorism, providing security authorities greater authority to track, disrupt, and prosecute criminal networks throughout the country.
The argument dominated Wednesday’s plenary, with participation from major senators such as Adams Oshiomhole, Orji Uzor Kalu, and Minority Leader Abba Moro.
After hours of deliberation, the Senate overwhelmingly passed the amendment bill for future legislative consideration, referring it to the Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters (head committee), National Security and Intelligence, and Interior Committees.
The panels are anticipated to report within two weeks.
Leading the debate on the bill on the floor of the Senate, Bamidele said the purpose was to “designate kidnapping, hostage-taking, and related offenses as acts of terrorism and prescribe the death penalty for such offenses without the option of a fine or alternative sentence.”
He issued a warning that kidnapping had evolved into “coordinated, commercialized, and militarized acts of violence perpetrated by organized criminal groups.”
“Kidnapping has instilled widespread fear in communities, undermined national economic activities and agricultural output, interrupted children’s education, bankrupted families forced to pay ransom, overstretched our security forces, and claimed countless innocent lives,” the Senate leader lamented.
According to the lawmaker, the patterns of brutality associated with kidnapping “now carry all the characteristics of terrorism,” making it necessary to treat the offense under the counter-terrorism framework.
Bamidele also stated that the bill would empower security agencies with “broader operational authority, intelligence capabilities, and prosecutorial tools” to pursue terrorists and their enablers.
He emphasized that the death penalty would apply not only to kidnappers but also to “their informants, logistics providers, harborers, transporters, and anyone who knowingly assists, facilitates, or supports kidnapping operations,” adding that “attempt, conspiracy, or incitement to kidnap attracts the same penalty.”
“Nigerians are kidnapped on highways, in schools, in homes, on farms, and in markets,” he said. “This is not a mere crime. It is terrorism in its purest form.”
Supporting the amendment, Oshiomhole criticized deradicalization programs for terror suspects, arguing that many offenders returned to crime.
“We should not continue with deradicalization programs again,” he said. “No more de-radicalization. If you are caught and convicted for acts of terrorism, then the penalty should be death.”
Sen. Orji Uzo Kalu also supported the bill, insisting that informants and sponsors of kidnappers must “face the consequence.”
“Nigerians have suffered at the hands of kidnappers. Young girls have been raped. Women have become widows for no reason. This practice must not continue again,” he said.
