Death penalty for kidnappers: Kudos for Lagos Assembly

Sir: The passage of a capital punishment for kidnappers by Lagos State House of Assembly is a commendable parliamentary interventionist mechanism deployed to deter the tendencies of the criminals franchising the kidnap for ransom banality.

The expediency of this bill is not only a pointer to the pace-setting potential of the commercial nerve-centre of the nation, it also exemplifies the quality of leadership at the zenith of governance in the state.

It has been the argument of many dispassionate Nigerians including this writer, as captured in some of my writings that the executive evasion of death sentence as it applies to some criminal offences and accommodated in our legal jurisprudence is a disservice to the freedom of many victims of unwholesome banditry.

Kidnap for ransom, an underworld pastime viewed to have largely replaced armed robbery for the kid-glove approach applied to its judicial sanctions is gradually establishing Nigeria’s position in the global map of infamy, it’s a disincentive to foreign investment drive as expatriates become the primary target.

Lagos cannot afford to isolate its urban renewal drive that has made it play host to foreign tourists and investors from the imperative of protection of lives and property.

Lastly, the success of this bill when passed into law would afford the police and other law enforcement agents the opportunity to record further mileage in other areas of policing to the benefit of Lagosians.

For instance, the streets of Lagos are grossly under-policed, one can walk the whole length of Broad Street and Marina without a sight of any policeman.

In a city where Cctv camera remains quantum physics, this is nothing but a veritable harbinger for crime. Kudos to the Lagos State legislature for sanctioning death penalty for kidnappers.

Bukola Ajisola.