Tough time awaits kidnappers in Oyo State with the signing of the new Kidnapping (Prohibition) Bill 2016 into law by Governor Abiola Ajimobi.
The law stipulates a death penalty for any kidnapper in the event the victim dies in custody.
However, a convicted offender will be liable to life imprisonment if the victim is released or rescued unhurt upon the payment of a ransom, while the kidnapper will be compelled to pay back the ransom.
Similar punishment awaits any person who procures, engages or gives information culminating in the kidnapping of a victim, an offence the law considered to carry the same weight of kidnapping.
The bill was signed into law last Friday by the governor but copies were only made available to journalists in Ibadan, the state capital, on Tuesday.
While signing the bill into law at the Executive Council Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Ajimobi commended the lawmakers for its accelerated passage, saying that it would help in curbing crime and criminal activities in the state.
