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Summary
The Edo State House of Assembly has passed the State Kidnapping Prohibition Law 2025, replacing life imprisonment with the death penalty for kidnappers.
The Edo State House of Assembly officially passed the State Kidnapping Prohibition Law 2025, imposing the death penalty on offenders, in a meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.
The Majority Leader, Charity Aiguobarueghian, moved the motion for the house to resolve into the committee of the whole for clause-by-clause consideration of the bill while Henry Okaka, the Minority Leader and representative of Owan East, seconded the motion.
During deliberations, lawmakers amended the 2013 law, which had prescribed life imprisonment and confiscation of property allegedly used for kidnapping. The new legislation replaces life imprisonment with a death sentence while maintaining the provision for property confiscation.
The bill’s passage marks a significant shift in the state’s legal stance against kidnapping, reflecting growing concerns over the crime’s prevalence. Lawmakers emphasised the need for stricter punitive measures to serve as a deterrent and protect residents.
With the new law, Edo State joins many Nigerian states adopting harsher penalties to combat kidnapping. The bill now awaits Governor Godwin Obaseki’s assent before it becomes law.
