Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Henry Owen
The Nigerian Senate has taken a firm stance against the country’s worsening insecurity, declaring kidnapping a form of terrorism and recommending the death penalty for all convicted kidnappers, with no judicial discretion to reduce sentences.
The resolution follows the November 18 attack on Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State, where gunmen killed two worshippers and abducted 38 others, all of whom were later rescued through joint operations involving the Army, Police, DSS, and local vigilantes.
The motion, sponsored by Senator Yisa Ashiru (Kwara South), highlighted the urgent need to address escalating insecurity in Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger States. Senators noted the frequency of school abductions has forced the shutdown of schools in several LGAs and all 47 Federal Unity Colleges nationwide.
During debates, Senator Issa Jibrin (Kogi East) raised concerns about Nigeria’s critical manpower deficit in security services, pointing out that the nation’s total military, police, and paramilitary personnel are fewer than one million, compared to Egypt’s 1.5 million, and called for urgent equipment upgrades, better intelligence coordination, and a reserve force to support overstretched troops.
Lawmakers also warned that banditry is creeping closer to Osun through Ekiti-linked communities around Eruku–Isapa–Koro, areas where a retired Army General and a traditional ruler were recently killed. Poor road infrastructure, which enables criminals to escape easily, was identified as a key challenge, prompting a directive to the Federal Ministry of Works to reconstruct the Idofian–Omu-Aran–Eruku–Egbe–Kabba corridor.
The Senate urged President Bola Tinubu to rejig the nation’s security architecture to combat kidnapping and banditry, emphasizing that capital punishment must apply to kidnappers as a deterrent, and insisting that no judge should have the power to reduce sentences.
The resolution underscores a growing urgency to protect citizens, safeguard schools and worship centres, and restore security in Nigeria’s vulnerable rural communities.
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