Insecurity: HURIWA calls national death penalty for kidnappers

By ABUBAKAR YUNUSA , Abuja

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has proposed a death penalty for kidnappers to curb crimes and related offenses in the country.
This proposal comes after bandits killed one of the seven persons abducted from Kuduru community in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The Association, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, urges the National Assembly to amend counter-terrorism legislation to prescribe the death penalty by hanging for kidnappers and terrorists.
According to the rights group, all sections of Nigeria must wage a determined war against terrorists and kidnappers by adopting swift death sentences for those who have subjected Nigerians to callous ordeals in the forests.
Emmanuel decried the excessive penchant for hasty media propaganda by the police, instead of consolidating efforts to address the heightened state of insecurity.
He noted that the police prefer hurried media propaganda to market what they erroneously perceive as milestones or policing masterstrokes.
HURIWA expressed consternation and worry that the state of insecurity in Abuja has not abated, calling on the Nigeria Police Force to change their strategies from hurried media propaganda to diligent policing focused on arresting the right suspects.
The statement emphasized the importance of thorough investigations to build a formidable body of evidence that would ensure strong convictions and the harshest punishment for suspects.
HURIWA also expressed surprise that law enforcement agencies are still incapable of tracking telephone conversations of terrorists involved in ransom negotiations with relatives of their victims.
While condemning the killing of the Abuja kidnapping victim, Engineer Olayinka Ogunyemi, the statement urged all law enforcement agencies, including the military and the Department of State Services, to work together to eradicate terrorists and kidnappers, restoring safety for Nigerians.