The bill to amend the 2004 Criminal Code Law has scaled through a second reading at the Enugu State House of Assembly.
Presenting the bill at the Hallowed Chamber on Tuesday, the Leader of the House, Mr. Iloabuchi Aniagu said amendment of the Criminal code law has become expedient as criminal elements generate huge money from ransom paid from kidnapped individual’s families and friends; “they have turned kidnapping to lucrative business.”
Aniagu argued that criminalizing ransom payment would stifle kidnapping as ransom is their goal.
In the bill, the punishment for persons who pay ransom for the release of a kidnapped victim is 15 years imprisonment.
Supporting the bill, Chima Obieze, a member representing Ezeagu Constituency said kidnapping would stop once the people no longer pay the outrageous ransom; he also indicted security operatives of involvement in the act.
But Malachi Onyechi, a member representing Nsukka West Constituency disagreed with the bill, pointing out that citizens resort to ransom payment for failure of the security personnel and the government to rescue kidnapped victims.
Mr. Harrison Ogara, a member representing Igbo-Eze South Constituency has a divergent view; while not supporting the government negotiating with kidnappers, extending the same to individuals is not a welcomed development.
Ogara further disclosed the inadequacy of security operatives in some Local Government Areas, which must be tackled before such amendments; Igbo-Eze South Local Government Area has only 32 police officers.
Osita Okoh, a member representing Enugu East Urban constituency was also against the amendment stating that individuals who pay ransom do so for fear of losing their loved ones in the hands of these unscrupulous kidnappers.
Okoh then asked that the bill be stepped down to allow its drafter to expunge the controversial sections.
Overruling the motion to step down the bill, the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Chief Uche Ugwu, directed the House Committees on Economic Development, Youths, and Security as well as Judiciary to study the bill and report their findings to the House in a week time.
