The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday advanced a landmark bill that would amend the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 to reclassify kidnapping, hostage‑taking and related offences as acts of terrorism and impose the death penalty on perpetrators, financiers, informants, and anyone who aids or enables such crimes.
The bill, sponsored by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, passed second reading and was referred to the joint Committees on Judiciary & Human Rights, National Security & Intelligence, and Interior for further deliberation; a report is expected within two weeks.
During a heated plenary presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, lawmakers from across party lines voiced strong support for the measure. Senators including Adams Oshiomhole, Orji Uzor Kalu, Minority Leader Abba Moro, and Victor Umeh argued that kidnapping in Nigeria has morphed into a coordinated, commercialised and militarised criminal enterprise — one they say bears all the hallmarks of terrorism.
“Kidnapping has instilled widespread fear, bankrupted families, disrupted schooling and claimed countless innocent lives,” Bamidele declared, arguing that the brutality, scale and organisation of modern kidnappings now mirror terrorist activities. He stressed that the death penalty should apply not only to kidnappers but also to financiers, logistics providers, transporters, informants and all who knowingly facilitate abductions.
Supporters of the bill also called for stronger legal measures against financial institutions that facilitate ransom payments, demanding increased scrutiny and consequences for banks and individuals involved.
A recent report by SBM Intelligence paints a stark picture of Nigeria’s growing kidnapping crisis. Between July 2024 and June 2025, at least 4,722 people were abducted nationwide across 997 incidents, and 762 people were killed in related violence.
During the same period, kidnappers demanded as much as N48 billion in ransom though families reportedly paid only N2.57 billion. The data reveal how kidnapping has morphed from isolated criminal acts into a structured, profit‑driven “locust business” that preys on vulnerable communities across Nigeria.
The human cost has been devastating: abductions have destabilised communities, disrupted education, crippled economic activity in rural areas, spread fear, and drained families financially — often with tragic outcomes.
Given this grim reality, senators argued that existing laws have proved insufficient. Reclassifying kidnapping as terrorism and imposing the strictest penalty is presented as a necessary deterrent and a step toward dismantling the criminal networks behind the kidnappings.
With second reading passed, the bill now moves to the joint Senate committees for public hearings and legislative scrutiny. If approved, the law would, if enacted, give security agencies wider powers of investigation, financing-tracking and prosecution of kidnapping syndicates under counter‑terrorism statutes.
The Senate’s move reflects mounting pressure on the government to find decisive, robust solutions to Nigeria’s deepening insecurity. But the proposal also raises tough questions about enforcement, human rights, and the capacity of the justice system to handle such sweeping changes.