Senator Onyewuchi’s Bill To Outlaw Payment Of Ransom Passes 2nd Reading

The Bill to Outlaw Payment of Ransom sponsored by Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi yesterday passed second reading on the floor of the Nigerian Senate.

This Bill seeks to amend the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2013 to outlaw the payment of ransom to abductors, kidnappers and terrorists for the release of any person, who has been wrongfully confined, imprisoned or kidnapped and other related matters.

He said that the need to outlaw ransom payment is premised on the fact that statistics show that buying out one victim strengthens and encourages abductors, kidnappers and terrorist organizations and thus puts many more people at risk.kidnapping and ransom payment has therefore, become a vicious circle. 

The reason behind payments of ransom is rooted on the fact that people easily identify with individual suffering. However, History has shown that even where ransom is proven to have been paid the life or safe return of a kidnap victim may not be guaranteed. 

The Senator quoted the former Inspector General of Police, IGP Arase , “As a law enforcement agency guided by rule of law and professional ethics, we do not under any circumstance encourage the payment of ransom to kidnappers or other criminals as it is tantamount to rewarding crime and motivating other criminals to follow that path”.

He further stated that countries like the USA and the United Kingdom do not support payment of ransoms. Payments of terrorist ransoms is illegal under the UK Terrorism Act 2000 while the USA adheres to a strict No-Concessions policy on the payment of ransom.

He emphasized that ransom payments lead to future kidnappings, and future kidnappings lead to additional ransom payments. And it all builds the capacity of terrorist organizations to conduct attacks.

He concluded by saying that payment of ransom must not be encouraged and in addition, government should strengthen the economy as a matter of urgency, accelerate its poverty alleviation programs, provide employment opportunities targeting youths who are mostly involved in abductions and kidnappings, strengthen our law enforcement agencies, and provide the necessary support to end the menace of kidnapping