The Enugu State House of Assembly has passed for second reading, a bill to criminalise payment of ransom to kidnappers in the state.
The bill, which seeks to amend the 2004 Criminal Code Law, when enacted, would ensure that anybody who pays ransom for the release of a kidnapped victim is jailed for 15 years.
Leading debate on the bill during Tuesday’s plenary, the Leader of the House, Iloabuchi Aniagu said that criminalising payment of ransom has become imperative as criminals have turned kidnapping to a lucrative business.
Aniagu argued that stopping the ransom payment would make kidnapping to die a natural death, stressing that ransom is the live wire of kidnapping.
Mr. Chima Obieze, representing Ezeagu Constituency, said that kidnappers would stop once the people no longer pay the outrageous ransom accusing security personnel
including the Police and military officers of being involved in kidnappings in the state.
In his submission, Harrison Ogara, representing Igbo-Eze South Constituency, said that while he does not support that government should negotiate with kidnappers, extending such to private individuals is not a welcomed development as the security agencies lack the adequate manpower to protect the citizens.
The Speaker, Chief Uche Ugwu, overruled the motion to step down the bill and directed the House Committees on Economic Development, Youths and Security as well as Judiciary to critically look into the bill and submit their in report in the next one week.