Like Lagos, Bauchi okays death penalty for kidnappers

Bauchi state government has signed into law, a bill which makes kidnapping now punishable with death or life imprisonment.

Ibrahim Umar , the state attorney-general and commissioner for justice, made this known on Tuesday while briefing journalists in the state.

Umar said Mohammed Abdullahi, governor of the state, assented to the bill on Monday.

“Whoever is guilty of the offence of kidnapping shall be punished with life imprisonment,” Umar said.

“If the victim dies as a result of the kidnapping, the offender shall be punished with death.”

Umar said whoever “seizes, confines, tricks, abducts or carries away” anybody and holds to ransom or otherwise with or without a weapon, would be seen as commiting the offence of kidnapping.

He said the state government had also signed into law, a bill for provision of free emergency treatment to accident victims within 24 hours of occurrence.

Umar said the government would provide for each public hospital, an accident and emergency unit, intensive care unit and a blood bank equipped with personnel and effective communication gadgets.

“The law states that the state government shall provide funds and logistics for joint patrol of the hospital management board and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) for rescuing accident victims in the three senatorial districts of the state,” Umar said.

“Any government hospital that fails to accept an accident victim shall have its officers on duty that day punished according to civil service rules, including reduction in rank.”

He said that the law applied to all accidents, including domestic fire, industrial fire, plane crash, flood disaster, snake bite, dog bite, rainstorm, bomb blasts and gunshot.

On the fisheries bill, Umar said the law is to regulate fisheries in order to promote a healthy lifestyle and ensure that fishes would be free from contamination.

On February 1, the Lagos state house of assembly approved death penalty for kidnappers whose victims die in their custody, and life imprisonment in situations where victims do not die.