Following the spike in the rate of kidnapping across parts if Lagos State, the Lagos State House of Assembly has approved death sentence for kidnappers, whose victims died in their custody. This development was announced after the end of plenary session by the House yesterday, Thursday, January 5, 2016.

The approval which criminalizes kidnapping in the State followed the adoption of a report presented by Adefunmilayo Tejuosho, the Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary, Petitions, Human Rights and Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC.

Furthermore, the Kidnapping Prohibition Bill 2016 prescribed life sentence to kidnappers, whose victims did not die in their custody.

The law as passed states that any person, who kidnaps, abducts, detains, captures or takes another person by any means or tricks with intent to demand ransom or do anything against his/her will, commits an offence, and liable on conviction to death sentence.

The law, which criminalised attempt to kidnap, also stipulated life imprisonment for anyone who makes attempt to kidnap another person.

Also, the bill is against false representation to release a kidnapped or abducted person. This attracts seven years imprisonment.

The lawmakers also approved 25 years imprisonment to whoever threatens to kidnap another person through phone call, e-mail, text message or any other means of communication.

This development as however led to mixed feelings among Mainlanders following the increased rate of kidnapping in the State.

This is due the recent happening on Wednesday, January 4, 2016, in Owode end of Ikorodu Road after gunmen stormed the area where commuters and other residents were kidnapped in the process.

Similarly, a little girl was kidnapped around the Iyana Ipaja end of Lagos same day. According to the relative who shared the information on social media, the little girl was abducted by a “light skinned man”.

As a result residents have resorted to the use of local vigilante groups to ensure the protection of their area from kidnappers.

While commenting on this, a resident of Owode told InsideMainland that “we need to protect ourselves from the kidnappers who are bent on causing havoc anywhere they go.”