The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, on Thursday publicly endorsed the imposition of the death penalty for individuals convicted of kidnapping, as part of the National Assembly’s broader response to surging insecurity across the country.
Speaking at the 14th National Caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, Akpabio affirmed the Senate’s backing for harsher legal measures, which include classifying kidnapping as an act tantamount to terrorism under Nigerian law.
“We condole with families who have lost loved ones, including members of the armed forces who died protecting lives and property. We will stand with their families in this moment of grief,” Akpabio said, acknowledging the human cost of the country’s security challenges.
The Senate President also took the opportunity to praise President Bola Tinubu’s handling of recent kidnapping incidents, particularly the rescue of abducted children. “If our neighbours are not stable, Nigeria cannot be stable,” he said, linking domestic security to regional circumstances and Tinubu’s involvement in stabilising neighbouring Benin Republic.
Akpabio described the President’s leadership in tackling insecurity as “decisive,” and urged continued national support for tougher deterrents against violent crime.
Highlighting ongoing legislative efforts, the Senate President noted that the National Assembly had already passed a bill to classify kidnapping on the same legal footing as terrorism. Under the proposed amendment, kidnapping would attract the death sentence once the President assents to the bill, with no room for alternative penalties, he said.
“Kidnappers will face the death sentence once the President assents to the bill,” Akpabio stated, while warning that failure to enforce capital sanctions could embolden criminals and contribute to jailbreaks and further violence.
This legislative stance follows earlier decisions by the Senate to extend capital punishment to a range of actors involved in kidnapping networks — including perpetrators, financiers, informants, and logistical supporters — by categorising their actions as terrorism.
Beyond security, Akpabio used the platform to discuss party politics, welcoming defected governors into the APC fold and urging cooperation between new leaders and party elders. He projected that the APC’s expanding influence would translate into “bloc votes and victory for the APC come 2027.”
He also encouraged newly inducted governors to appreciate the support of long-standing party stakeholders: “Thank them for tolerating you, for accommodating you, for accepting you,” he said.
The Senate’s push for capital punishment has, however, sparked debate across Nigeria’s legal and human rights communities. At a public hearing on the bill, stakeholders including the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and other institutions raised constitutional and policy concerns, arguing that mandatory death sentences may not deter crime and could infringe on judicial discretion.
Representatives at the hearing cautioned against broad classifications of kidnapping as terrorism and urged a more measured approach that preserves proportional sentencing options, including life imprisonment where appropriate.
