RIGHTS GROUP WANTS HARSHER SANCTION FOR KIDNAPPERS

Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, a development focused non-governmental organization has yesterday condemned what it called unrestrained spate of kidnapping of high profile citizens especially in the South-South and South-Eastern regions of Nigeria.

The Rights Group also called on the 35 state houses of Assembly and the National Assembly to work together to reform the nation’s legal system in order to promulgate stiffer punishment of life sentence for offences of kidnapping and terrorism.

In a media release in reaction to the recent kidnapping of the internationally reputable novelist Elechi Amadi, Reverend Father Pius Kii and Mr. Confidence Odeye, a Rivers State Government official in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, the Rights Group through its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko backed the Catholic Church’s decision not to pay the ransom demanded by the kidnappers of the popular Port-Harcourt based Catholic priest, Reverend Father Pius Kii even as it urged the kidnappers to release their captives unharmed.

Specifically, the Catholic Church had on Wednesday 28 th January 2009 stated through Bishop Alexius Makozi of Port-Harcourt Diocese that it would not capitulate to the ransom demand made by the kidnappers of the cleric.

HURIWA demanded the reorganization of the security agencies in Rivers State including the sack of the Head of the State Security Service,Nigeria Police, Nigeria Civil Defence Corps for their abysmal failure to put a stop to the embarrassing spate of kidnapping and other organized crime.

The Rights Group further called on the state Governors in the country to quickly put in place programmes and facilities that will economically empower the large army of unemployed Nigerian Youth especially University graduates and School leavers in order to halt the unprecedented rise in youth restiveness, kidnapping, social unrest and organized crime in the country.

HURIWA stressed that political office holders owe the Nation the supreme and constitutional duty of safeguarding the lives and property of law abiding citizens even as it warned that the failure of the security operatives to enforce result oriented crime detection, prevention and fighting mechanism may result in anarchy and greater social unrest in the country.

The Rights Group stated that; “section 14 (2) (b) of the 1999 constitution clearly stated that the security and welfare of the people SHALL be the primary purpose of government.

The political office holders at every strata of the Nigerian society must comply with all the provisions of the constitution. It is incumbent on all state governors and the federal government to put in place measures to provide effective security and welfare to all citizens”.

On how best to check the rising trend of kidnapping, HURIWA canvassed the introduction of life sentence with an option of parole as punishment for offenders convicted by the court of law for the charges of kidnapping and terrorism.

The rights Group said it was opposed to the death sentence for kidnapping as been contemplated by some state legal jurisdictions in Nigeria.

HURIWA said, “we are in support of the introduction of life sentence for offences of kidnapping and terrorism and the convicts should be entitled to a parole and conditional release after serving a minimum of 25 years in detention and within those years the convicts would have been reformed and offered opportunity to be economically empowered through the provision of vocational and information technological training while in prison”.