Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state has said he is willing to sign death warrant of any person convicted of kidnapping. The governor, who made this known on Thursday, said stiffer penalties had been approved to discourage those who might want to be involved in the act.
Wike assented to the Rivers State Neighbourhood Safety Corps Law No. 8 of 2018, the Rivers State Secret Cult and Similar Activities (Prohibition) (Amendment) Law No.6 of 2018, and the Rivers State Kidnap (Prohibition) (Amendment) No. Law No.7 of 2018, in a bid to improve the security of communities.
The Rivers House of Assembly had passed the bills.“If you are a cultist and you are caught, it is life imprisonment. If you are a cultist and you kill during cult activities, you will face the death penalty,” the governor said during the signing.
"If you are convicted of kidnapping and the Supreme Court affirms your conviction, I will sign the death warrant without looking back.”He also said the state government would battle cultism and kidnapping to a standstill, noting that ‘enough is enough".
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Crime