Kidnapping: Perpetrators, informants to die by hanging in Niger

Governor Sani Bello of Niger State has assented to the law which prescribes death by hanging for persons found guilty of kidnapping and cattle rustling in the state.

These were among the laws assented to recently by the governor in accordance with Section 100(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

The new laws include: The

Kidnapping and Cattle Rustling (Special Provisions) Law, 2021; the Niger State Vigilante Corps (Amendment) Law, 2021; the Niger State House of Assembly Service Commission Law, 2020; the Office of the Auditor-General of the State Law, 2021; and the Office of the Auditor General of the Local Government Law, 2021.

The governor said the Kidnapping and Cattle Rustling Special Provisions Law of 2016 is amended to provide for the punishment of informants and all those involved in the aiding and abetting of kidnapping and cattle rustling in the state.

He noted that informants who aid and abet kidnappers would now have to face death sentence by hanging in public as it is now enshrined in the state law.

The governor added that the vigilante Amendment Law is meant to invigorate and strengthen the state vigilante corps for better operational efficiency in the discharge of their statutory function of complementing the efforts of conventional federal security forces.