Senate Gets Tough: Nigeria Declares Kidnapping Terrorism, Approves Mandatory Death Penalty
Nigeria’s Senate has taken one of its strongest security decisions in recent years, voting to categorise all forms of kidnapping as terrorism and to impose a mandatory death penalty on anyone convicted of the crime.
The resolution, adopted during Thursday’s plenary and championed by Senator Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila (NNPP, Kano South), followed a surge of violent abductions across the country, including the recent attack on the St. Vincent Catholic Church in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, where worshippers were seized and taken into the forest.
While presenting the motion, Senator Sumaila described kidnapping as a booming criminal industry sustained by heavily armed gangs, community informants and a weakened security system. He warned that what began as isolated criminal operations has now transformed into an organised national threat capable of crippling agriculture, displacing rural populations and eroding public trust in government institutions.
In contributions to the debate, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) lamented the growing sophistication of kidnap gangs who now possess military-grade weapons, coordinate cross-state operations and sometimes kill victims even after collecting ransom.
Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) added that insecurity has taken a devastating toll on Northern Communities, noting that thousands of families have been forced to abandon farms due to fear of attacks.
The Senate directed the Federal Government, through the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN)—to amend the Terrorism (Prevention) Act so that kidnapping is legally recognised as terrorism. This amendment would grant Security Agencies broader arrest powers, quicker prosecution timelines, the ability to detain suspects for extended periods and legal authority to confiscate assets belonging to kidnappers and their collaborators.
However, several lawmakers stressed that punitive measures alone will not end the crisis. Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA, Abia South) called for advanced surveillance systems, including drones, while Senator Ned Nwoko (PDP, Delta North) urged the Federal Government to tighten border controls to curb the smuggling of arms used by criminal networks. Others emphasised the need to address the underlying drivers of insecurity, including unemployment and poverty, which continue to push young people into criminal groups.
The decision has sparked debate among security experts and civil society organisations. While many Nigerians applaud the Senate’s stance as decisive and overdue, groups such as the Civil Rights Concern Initiative (CRCI) warned that applying the death penalty in a criminal justice system plagued by poor investigations and limited forensic capacity could lead to irreversible miscarriages of justice.
For the proposal to take full legal effect, the House of Representatives, led by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, must approve the amendment before forwarding it to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for assent. If signed into law, Nigeria will enforce one of the harshest anti-kidnapping frameworks on the African continent.
Across the Country, communities traumatised by repeated abductions hope the Senate’s resolution marks a turning point in Nigeria’s sustained fight against kidnappers and violent criminal networks.
