TheCable

Ibrahim Idris, inspector general of police (IGP), says the punishment for kidnapping should be death or life imprisonment.

Idris said this while discussing about billionaire kidnapper Chukwudidumeme Onuamadike, better known as Evans, at a session with civil society organisations (CSOs) in Abuja.

Idris said there was the need to impose sanctions as obtainable in Lagos and some other states.

In February, Akinwunmi Ambode, Lagos state governor, signed into law the anti-kidnapping bill, which was passed on January 5 by the Lagos state house of assembly.

The law proposes death penalty for kidnappers whose victims die in their custody, and life imprisonment for the act of kidnapping.

Anambra, Bauchi and Kano have also approved death penalty for kidnappers.

Idris said there is an urgent need to review existing laws on kidnapping, with a view to ensuring stiffer punishment for the perpetrators.

“We should start looking at punishment and the possibility of establishing special courts to address issues of kidnapping,” Idris said.

“On daily basis, we arrest hundreds of suspects. We should look for a way to review our laws and impose sanctions like we have in some states like Anambra, Lagos, Kano and Imo.

“Evans has undoubtedly changed the face of kidnapping in this country, if you see his magnification mansions in Ghana.

“That was why he refused to invest in his own state and preferred to build houses in Ghana and other places.

“This was because he knew his investments would be lost. So the issue of punishment is very important.

“He told his boys not to have landed property in either Anambra or Imo because he was aware the houses will be demolished and the boys ostracised if caught.

“He refused to own any property in his place. You know, in that part of the country, even in churches, relatives of kidnap suspects are avoided and treated as outcast by people.

“You can see why our youths have taken this way to easy life. That is why we have to up the risk. If you engage in kidnapping the punishment should be death or life imprisonment.

“We need to review those punishments, we should have a time frame for the conclusion of the trial of suspects”.

“This will serve as a deterrent to youths that may wish to engage in the crime.”

The IGP said there were instances where some suspects, owing to ignorance and illiteracy, said they would want to be paraded before the press so they could go home.

“Some of these local people don’t really understand, they see people being paraded on TV after arrest and think that is just where it ended,” he said.

“Kidnapping obviously has become a very major challenge for us in this country. However, I am happy to state that in virtually over 80 percent of cases reported to the police, the suspects were arrested.”

Idris then called for more funding for the police to enable the force acquire more helicopters, patrol vans and communication gadgets, to aid the force in its anti-kidnapping fight.