• Kidnapping, terrorism to attract death penalty
• With concerted efforts, we’ll defeat insurgency, says Gen. Musa
To strengthen the battle against terrorism and banditry, the National Assembly yesterday proposed stiff penalties for kidnappings and other forms of violence.
The measures include imposition of the death penalty on convicted kidnappers, financiers and informants; ban on ransom payment, stoppage of negotiation with terrorists, and classification of kidnapping as terrorism.
The Senate took the hardline stance against the worsening wave of kidnapping after the debate on a bill seeking to amend the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The purpose of the amendment is to designate kidnapping, hostage-taking and related offences as acts of terrorism.
The amendment, sponsored by Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, also seeks to empower security agencies with expanded operational and intelligence tools to dismantle kidnapping networks nationwide.
Also, the House of Representatives, which debated the security emergency, recommended that security expenditure should be placed on a ‘First Line Charge’ to guarantee predictable and timely funding.
The House also passed a resolution that all approved security budgets must be fully and promptly disbursed.
Both chambers of the National Assembly sought an immediate end to terrorism on a day the nominee for Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, was cleared by the Senate after screening.
Gen. Musa, who is likely to be sworn in today by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, declared that he would not negotiate with any terrorist.
He also urged government to ban illegal mining and procure drones to fight insurgency.
Why we want to amend terrorism bill, by Bamidele
Justifying their call for stiff sanctions against terror, senators from across party lines argued that the scale, brutality and growing sophistication of kidnapping were embarrassing.
Leading the debate, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said the amendment was necessary because kidnapping had evolved into a militarised and commercialised criminal enterprise
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He said: “What were once isolated incidents have escalated into coordinated, commercialised, and militarised acts of violence perpetrated by organised criminal groups.”
Bamidele lamented that kidnapping had crippled economic activities, driven fear across communities, disrupted education, bankrupted families through ransom payments, and claimed countless lives.
He said classifying the crime as terrorism would give security agencies capacity for broader arrests and investigative, intelligence and asset-tracing powers under counter-terrorism laws.
Bamidele stressed: “The bill prescribes the death penalty, not only for perpetrators, but also for their financiers, informants, logistics suppliers, harbourers, transporters and anyone who knowingly provides support.
“Attempts, conspiracy and incitement to kidnap would attract the same punishment. This strong deterrent is necessary to confront kidnapping at the scale it currently operates.”
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, Adams Oshiomhole, criticised the deradicalisation programmes that allow dangerous offenders to escape justice.
He said: “Some of these people return to the same crimes after release. No more deradicalisation. If you are caught and convicted for terrorism, the penalty should be death.”
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu said the Senate was united behind the bill, stressing that informants and sponsors should face the same consequences as kidnappers.
He added: “Nigerians have suffered in the hands of kidnappers. Young girls have been raped. Women have become widows for no reason. This must stop.”
Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro described the bill as “straightforward” and urged swift passage, noting that kidnapping had become a lucrative criminal enterprise that the state must decisively crush.
Senator Victor Umeh (Anambra Central) condemned the growing trend of kidnapping for ransom and the killing of victims after payments.
He called for the bill to extend its reach to collaborators, including financial institutions that enable ransom transactions.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who presided, referred the bill to the committees on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters (lead committee), National Security and Intelligence, and Interior for further legislative action and to report back in two weeks
Reps seek first line charge for security budget
The House of Representatives recommended that security expenditure should be placed on a ‘First Line Charge’ to guarantee predictable and timely funding.
The House also recommended that financiers of terrorism, banditry and kidnapping should be publicly named, sanctioned and prosecuted, adding that terrorism-related prosecutions should be open, expeditious and transparent.
The House canvassed the prohibition of ransom payments and informal amnesty negotiations by government agencies.
During the plenary, the House resolved to forward to the Senate for concurrence before its transmission to the executive arm, state governments, security agencies and other relevant institutions for urgent implementation
Noting the established link between cash-based economies and the financing of terrorism, banditry, ransom payments and other criminal enterprises, the House recommended a phased strengthening of cashless transaction frameworks nationwide.
It urged the executive, the Central Bank and financial institutions to expand and upgrade e-banking infrastructure, particularly in rural areas.
According to the lawmakers, enhanced digital payment systems, transaction monitoring mechanism and financial-crime analytics should be integrated into national security operations.
The House said a special court should be established for terrorism, banditry and kidnapping trial, while penalties for arms trafficking and illegal possession of weapons should be strictly enforced.
The House said security coverage for schools, worship centres, markets and other soft targets should be strengthened through coordinated preventive measures and improved rapid-response capacity.
The lawmakers stressed that all public CCTV systems should be reactivated, upgraded, and, where necessary, complemented with new installations, and integrated into a national and sub-national surveillance grid.
The House said the deployment of police and military personnel for VIP protection should be significantly reduced, with a clear downscaling of security details attached to political officeholders, in full compliance with the presidential directive.
The lawmakers said intelligence gathering at the community level should be strengthened and systematically linked to national systems, while border security should be treated as a national emergency.
Reps condemn killing of Kebbi security personnel
The House of Representatives condemned the assault on the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) outpost in Bakin Ruwa, Kebbi State, on November 27, and the killing of three Immigration officers.
A minute silence was observed in their honour.
Moving a motion of urgent public importance, a lawmaker, Bello Ka’oje, lamented that Kebbi, once regarded as one of the most peaceful states in Northwest, has come under repeated attacks in recent months.
He noted that Bagudo Local Government, which shares an international boundary with Republic of Benin, hosts several federal security posts, including NIS and NCS checkpoints at Bakin Ruwa and Maje, as well as multiple police formations.
These facilities, he said, have now become frequent targets for criminals seeking to carve out operational bases in the area.
Ka’oje said the latest killings mirrored earlier attacks, including the November 10 assault on the Nigeria Customs Service outpost in Maje where a Customs officer was killed, and the attack on a police outpost in the same community on October 19, which led to the death of a police officer.
He said intelligence had suggested that the Lakurawa bandits attempted to turn the Soda Forest in Bagudo council into a hideout, while also using the hills in Suru Local Government as a camp where kidnapped victims are held before ransom negotiations.
Ka’oje stressed that the pattern of attacks reflected a broader attempt by the bandits to entrench themselves in Kebbi North, posing significant threats to national security and cross-border safety because of the state’s proximity to Benin Republic.
Trump can’t solve Nigeria’s problems, says Yari
Senator Abdulazeez Yari (Zamfara West) called for an internal solution to lingering insecurity, stressing that no outsider, including President Donald Trump of United States, can solve the problems.
Yari spoke in Abuja during the official kick off of “One Nigeria Project”, organised by National Association of Former Local Government Council Chairmen (NALGON).
The former governor of Zamfara State argued that political elite in the country are capable of solving the challenges, including insecurity, without help from abroad.
Yari said: “It is time we come together, remain together and put the interest of Nigeria first.
“To our elite, what is the problem? You don’t love your country. If Nigeria goes down today, do you have another country?
“Stop calling on Trump. Trump has no business in Nigeria. He cannot solve the problems of Nigeria. The problem of Nigeria will be solved by Nigerians.”
He added: “I am not driven by sentiment or fear. I understand that many who make damning remarks about Nigeria hold multiple passports. But I have only one passport—the Nigerian green passport—and I carry it with pride. Wherever I have travelled, I went as a visitor by choice, not because I had another country to fall back on.
“Those who hold dual citizenship sometimes forget the weight of their words because they have somewhere else to run to. Their families have alternatives; we do not. Our roots, our homes, and our families are here. We have no other place to call our own.
“That is why we will continue to speak the truth, stand firm, and remain committed to Nigeria. And despite our criticisms, we will continue to work and pray for this country—and for its leaders—to succeed. Because their success is not for personal gains; it is for collective gains.
“When those entrusted with the leadership of the country do the right thing, the positive impact comes back to all of us.”
Former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Michael Aondoakaa, said local government administration requires maximum support to eliminate insecurity.
He argued that the security challenges in the country are surmountable if the government can engage those who are closest to the people at the grassroots level.
The former Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, who is also a former local government chairman, urged Nigerians to support President Tinubu’s administration and do away with sentiments.
He said: “Governors should ensure that money meant for local governments get to them. We need to ensure that there is equity, justice, and fairness in what we do.”
Ndume: Army should be on First Line Charge
Former Senate Leader Ali Ndume urged former CDS, Gen. Musa, to push for the inclusion of Army in the First Line Charge, to ensure seamless disbursements of fund.
He said statutory transfers will remove the bureaucratic bottlenecks which often hinder prompt procurement of arms and ammunition needed for operations at theatres.
Ndume said: “While I commend him on his appointment which most Nigerians have acknowledged that he deserves, he should convince his boss, the President and Commander-in-Chief on the need to put the Nigerian Army on First Line Charge.
“Aside adequate funding of the Army, Navy and the Air Force, prompt disbursement of funds is very important. He should ensure that the military gets its capital budget in full, because if they don’t get the fund,operations will suffer.
“Security of life and property is very important. It is enshrined in the Constitution as the purpose of government to the citizens and we should stop paying lip service to it.
“There should be no justification for delay in release of funds for the military for procurement and its other strategic needs.”
The lawmaker also appealed to the former Chief of Defence Staff to take more than a passing interest on welfare of military personnel, particularly their remuneration.
He said: “My position on a better welfare for our Armed Forces is already in the public domain. They are not the best paid in the West African sub-region. Something must be done urgently about this to convince them that we value the sacrifice that they continue to make for the rest of us.”
Former Senate President Ahmad Lawan reinforced the point, saying that the Armed Forces could not continue operating “with bare hands against fire.”
He called for “massive, sustained funding” in the 2026 budget.
