Bauchi State Okays Death Sentence For Kidnappers

Kidnapping in Bauchi State is now punishable with death or life imprisonment as Governor Mohammed Abdullahi has signed into law a bill in that direction.

The state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ibrahim Umar, made this known on Tuesday while briefing newsmen in Bauchi.

He said Abdullahi also assented to bills on fisheries and accidents. Umar said the governor assented to the bills on Monday.

“Whoever is guilty of the offence of kidnapping shall be punished with life imprisonment. If the victim dies as a result of the kidnapping, the offender shall be punished with death,” he said.

According to Umar, whoever seizes, confines, tricks, abducts or carries away anybody and holds anyone to ransom with or without a weapon, commits the offence of kidnapping.

Umar said the state government also signed into law a bill for the provision of free emergency treatment to accident victims within 24 hours of the occurrence of such an accident.

He said government would provide an accident and emergency unit, an intensive care unit and a blood bank equipped with personnel and effective communication gadgets for each public hospital.

“The law stated that the state government shall provide funds and logistics for joint patrol of the hospital management board and the Federal Road Safety Corps for rescuing accident victims in the three senatorial districts of the state,” Umar said.