The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday passed a series of far-reaching security resolutions, officially designating kidnapping and banditry as acts of terrorism and prescribing the death penalty for all kidnapping-related offences.
It was said that the resolutions, among the most stringent in recent legislative history, followed a heated plenary session presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The debate was sparked by a motion of urgent national importance tabled by Senator Ashiru Oyelola Yisa (Kwara South) and subsequently amended by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele.
In a statement that pointed out the gravity of the Senate’s stance, lawmakers resolved that “all laws relating to kidnapping should be classified as terrorism and should have a maximum death penalty, and no judge should overturn or reduce the sentence without any option of fine.”
To give legislative force to the resolution, Senator Bamidele has been tasked with introducing a formal amendment bill “in the shortest possible time.”
Beyond the legal reclassification, the Senate approved the establishment of a new Joint Task Force (JTF) to bolster security along the volatile Kwara–Kogi corridor.
The plan includes the creation of Forward Operating Bases in Eruku, Babanla, Oke-Ero, Isanlu, and Wasagu in Kebbi State.
Lawmakers also called on the Federal Government to strengthen local vigilante groups and to review Nigeria’s firearm regulations, citing global precedents where “responsible citizens are permitted to own guns” in over 175 countries.
A particularly contentious point during the session was the recent withdrawal of military personnel from a school in Kebbi State, which was followed by a deadly bandit attack.
The Senate has directed all relevant security committees to investigate the circumstances surrounding the withdrawal, as well as to probe a circular linked to the killing of Brigadier-General M Uba in Maiduguri with findings are to be presented within two weeks.
The Senate’s actions come amid a surge in violent incidents across the country.
Earlier this month, gunmen stormed a branch of the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State, during a meeting, killing three worshippers and abducting several others, including the presiding pastor.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos as the attackers opened fire, sending congregants fleeing in terror.
Similar mass abductions were reported in Kebbi and Niger states, fuelling public outcry and intensifying pressure on lawmakers to act decisively.
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