Senate Begins Terrorism Law Amendment

• The Nigerian Senate has commenced the amendment of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act to include kidnapping as a punishable offence, while also setting up an 18-member committee to investigate the Safe School Initiative amid rising attacks on educational institutions.

The Nigerian Senate on Thursday passed the first reading of a bill to amend the nation’s Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, signaling a legislative move to classify kidnapping as terrorism punishable by death.

Sponsored by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, the amendment follows resolutions reached during a heated debate on national insecurity, where senators emphasized the need for harsher penalties against kidnappers amid a surge in abductions across the country.

In tandem, the Senate constituted an 18-member ad hoc committee to investigate the implementation of the Safe School Initiative, appointing Senator Orji Kalu as chairman. The committee includes Senators Tony Nwoye, Yemi Adaramodu, Harry Ipalibo, Ede Dafinone, Mustapha Saliu, Diket Plang, Binus Yaroe, Kaka Shehu, and Musa Garba Maidoki, among others.

The committee has been mandated to probe the utilisation of funds for the initiative and report back within four weeks, following concerns over continued attacks on schools despite government allocations. These concerns were heightened after the recent attack on Government Comprehensive Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, where gunmen killed the vice principal and abducted 25 students.

The move comes amid escalating insecurity, with last week’s assault on St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State, resulting in the abduction of over 300 schoolchildren and teachers. Other states affected by kidnappings and banditry include Kwara, Kano, and Borno.

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President Bola Tinubu, who declared a nationwide security emergency earlier this week, has ordered additional recruitment into the Nigerian Armed Forces and police, with National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camps repurposed as training depots. Officers withdrawn from VIP duties are to undergo crash training to enhance efficiency in security-challenged areas.

Additionally, the President directed the Department of State Services (DSS) to deploy trained forest guards to flush out terrorists and bandits hiding in the nation’s forests, aiming to curb the growing wave of attacks.