Participants at the public hearing on the ‘Osun Anti-kidnaping and Other Related Crimes Bill, 2019 held on Tuesday, have called for death penalty for anybody involved in kidnapping in the state.
Some participants at the hearing at the assembly complex in Osogbo, also called for compensation for kidnap and rape victims as well as restitution of ransom paid by families of those kidnapped whether released alive or dead.
The Chairman, Osun Civil Society Coalition, Mr Waheed Lawal, urged government to declare state of emergency on unemployment.
Lawal said most unemployed youths now engaged in social vices such as kidnapping, robbery and money ritual.
The Speaker of the assembly and sponsored the bill, Mr Timothy Owoeye, said the bill would provide stiffer penalty to stop the menace of kidnapping in the state.
Owoeye said the public hearing on the bill and that of the Amotekun Establishment Bill held on Monday, was to get inputs of the public and make needed adjustments and inclusion to the bills.
“The public hearing on the bills was to enable our people to make contributions to the laws so that it can be generally acceptable.
“So far, so go; the hearing has yielded the desired outcomes and the contributions made by the participants would be effected in the bills.
“As the anti-kidnapping bill is concerned, the people have unanimously agreed for death sentence for kidnappers. The house would deliberate on the contributions of the people,” he said.
Owoeye stated that when the bills (especially the anti-kidnapping bill) was passed, it would reduce the nefarious activities of kidnappers in the state. (NAN)
