Lawmaker says stiff penalties coming for kidnappers

The Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Education, says the state lawmakers are working on a bill that will make kidnappers face stiff penalties.

The lawmaker, Mr Olanrewaju Ogunyemi, gave the hint on Monday while receiving the “Excellent Leaders Award” given to him by a Non-Governmental Organisation, Christian Coalition Against Corruption, in his office.

He said that the lawmakers would give the bill the necessary attention, in order to check the spate of kidnapping in the state.

Ogunyemi said the state would emulate Edo State, which has put in place very stiff penalties for kidnappers.

According to him, Edo did not only impose capital punishment on kidnappers, but also seizes their properties and freezes their bank accounts.

He also said that the state government was not taking the issue of security lightly and would soon install Close Circuit Television in schools.

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Ogunyemi urged the public not to panic in spite of the kidnap of some staff and students of Lagos State Model College, Igbonla, Epe.

“Our schools are safe and they would continue to be safe. Our government will not compromise on that and we will soon install CCTV in all the schools,” he said.

NAN reports that the police are still on the trail of kidnappers who seized the principal, a teacher and six students at the Epe school, out of which two students were rescued.

The lawmaker said that Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode had also ordered the demolition of shanties around waterways in a bid to enhance security.

He said the government had also done much for the Lagos State Police Command by buying equipments worth billions of naira for them.

The President of the NGO, Dr Francis Shopekan, who led others to present the award to the lawmaker, urged him to continue to pay attention to the people’s needs at the assembly.

“You were nominated for the award by the people whose lives you have impacted from your first tenure in office.

“We also believe that you deserve the award, which was why we decided to present it to you,” he said.