Summary
The Nigerian Senate has adopted a resolution classifying kidnapping as an act of terrorism, calling for an amendment to the Terrorism Act that would enforce the death penalty as the maximum punishment.
The decision was reached during Wednesday’s plenary session.
Under the new legislation, anyone convicted of kidnapping will automatically face the death sentence, according to the upper chamber. The move comes amid a persistent national security crisis driven by armed “bandit” gangs that carry out violent raids, killing civilians and abducting victims for ransom.
In response to the spate of kidnappings and related attacks, President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday ordered a comprehensive security cordon over forests in Kwara State to curtail the activities of criminal elements.
Series of Abductions
Recently, bandits attacked the Isapa community in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, abducting 11 residents. This incident followed closely after 38 worshippers were kidnapped from a Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in the Eruku community.
Terrorists also targeted St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State, abducting more than 300 students and staff in a resurgence of mass kidnappings that have long plagued Nigeria.
Meanwhile, 24 schoolgirls abducted from Government Comprehensive Girls Secondary School in Maga, Danko Wasagu Local Government Area, Kebbi State, were safely released on Tuesday. At the same time, at least 50 captives taken from St. Mary’s Catholic School managed to escape, but more than 265 children and teachers remain in captivity.
Nigeria’s most notorious mass kidnapping remains the 2014 abduction of 276 Chibok schoolgirls by Boko Haram in the North-East, an event that continues to resonate nationwide, with many of the girls still unaccounted for more than a decade later.
What you should know
The Nigerian Senate has formally classified kidnapping as terrorism and mandated the death penalty for convictions, responding to a surge in violent abductions across the country.
Recent attacks in Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger States reflect the persistent threat of banditry, with hundreds of students, churchgoers, and residents targeted in mass kidnappings, echoing past high-profile incidents like the Chibok schoolgirl abductions.
