Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State on Thursday signed into law the bill seeking the imposition of death penalty on kidnappers in the state.
The Anti-kidnapping, Anti-land-grabbing, Cultism and other Anti-violence related matters Bill was passed by the State House of Assembly recently.
The law provides death sentence for those convicted for kidnapping while those found guilty for cultism shall be jailed for a minimum of 7 years.
Others involved in meting out violence on anyone risk spending up to 10 years in jail upon conviction.
Speaking during the signing Thursday evening, the governor said the law was long overdue in view of the increase in kidnapping, land grabbing and other violent crimes within the State.
“As a responsible government, we cannot fold our arms to see people being terrorized by criminals who are clearly out to cause mayhem.
“This new law will deal with anyone caught in the act and I urge security agencies to be on their toes and ensure that culprits are apprehended and made to face the law,” Mr Lalong stressed.
The governor, therefore, called on the communities to rise up to the challenge by identifying and fishing criminals within their domains, saying that they should always pass relevant information to security agencies to act.
