Nigerian Senators amend terrorism law to include mandatory death sentence

Nigeria lawmakers are pushing for a sweeping set of security reforms as the nation faces an unrelenting wave of kidnappings, terrorist attacks, and violent criminality that has destabilised many parts of the country.

The plan, driven jointly by the National Assembly, introduces compulsory death penalty for terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, and anyone who finances or supports them – marking one of the toughest legal responses to insecurity since the insurgency era began more than a decade ago.

The Senate, on Wednesday, advanced a bill seeking major amendments to the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, strengthening the legal definition of terrorism to include kidnapping, hostage-taking, and related offences.

The proposal was sponsored by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele and endorsed by all 108 senators.

Bamidele told his colleagues that kidnapping has evolved from sporadic crimes into “coordinated, commercialised, and militarised acts of violence,” devastating families, suppressing economic activity, displacing communities, and overwhelming security agencies. He recalled that senators had, just weeks earlier, agreed in a closed-door session that Nigeria needed a more forceful legal framework to confront the escalating crisis.

Under the proposed amendments, security agencies would gain broader intelligence and operational powers under counter-terrorism law.

The bill mandates the death penalty not only for perpetrators and financiers but also for informants, logistics suppliers, harbourers, transporters, and anyone who knowingly aids kidnapping operations.

“Attempt, conspiracy, or incitement to kidnap attracts the same penalty,” Bamidele added, arguing that only strong deterrence can disrupt the kidnapping economy that has flourished nationwide.

No De-radicalisation

Senators also rejected previous de-radicalisation approach of the Buhari administration. Senator Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State dismissed such programmes as ineffective, saying many offenders returned to violent crime after their release.

“No more de-radicalisation. If you are caught and convicted for acts of terrorism, then the penalty should be death,” he said.

Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia state) echoed the chamber’s hardline stance, insisting that the networks behind kidnapping – including sponsors and informants – must face severe punishment.

“Nigerians have suffered. Women have become widows, children have been orphaned. This must not continue,” he said.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio referred the bill to the committees on judiciary, national security, and interior, directing them to return with their report in two weeks.

The bill is expected to go through a public hearing before a third and final reading. To become law, it will have to be approved by the House of Representatives and later signed by the president.

The new push comes as Nigeria grapples with record levels of abductions and rural violence, from mass school kidnappings to attacks on highways, farms, and communities—threats that have eroded public confidence and underscored the urgency of a more coordinated national response.