Senate outlaws payment of ransom to kidn@ppers

The Senate has passed a bill seeking to amend the Terr#rism (Prevention) Act, 2013, and prohibit the payment of ransom to kidn@ppers in Nigeria.

The amendment bill was passed for the third and final time on Wednesday, April 27, after the Senate considered a report of the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters.

Presenting the report, Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, said the bill sought to outlaw the payment of ransom to abd#ctors, kidn@ppers and terr#rist for release of any person who has been wrongfully confined, imprisoned or kidn@pped.

According to him, “The overall import of this bill is to discourage the rising spate of kidn@pping and abd#ction for ransom in Nigeria, which is fast spreading across the country.

Having policies in place to combat financing of terr#rism will surely reduce or eliminate privacy and anonymity in financial and other sundry transactions as it relates to the subject in our society.

The passage of this Bill will save Nigeria from being included among countries in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List with its attendant negative consequences, which might ultimately result to international sanctions that would affect the image of the country in the comity of nations.”

He also emphasised that the proposed repeal and enactment Bill was geared towards improving the effectiveness of countermeasures against terrorism, terrorism financing and proliferation financing.