27th November, 2025
The Nigerian Senate has taken a decisive stance against the country’s escalating insecurity by adopting a resolution that classifies kidnapping as an act of terrorism and mandates the death penalty for all convicted offenders.
The resolution, passed during Wednesday’s plenary session, requires automatic application of capital punishment once a kidnapping conviction is established, with no option for fines or judicial discretion to reduce sentences.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who presided over the heated debate, directed Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele to urgently prepare amendments to the Terrorism (Prevention) Act to reflect the new provisions. “Once the offence of kidnapping is established, a death penalty must follow. There’s no discretion as to what type of punishment should be given,” Akpabio declared.
The decision followed an emergency motion titled “Urgent Need to Address Escalating Insecurity in Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger States” sponsored by Senator Yisa Ashiru, representing Kwara South. The motion was triggered by the November 18, 2025 attack on Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, where armed assailants killed two worshippers and abducted 38 others.
Although all victims were later rescued through coordinated operations involving military personnel, police, Department of State Services agents, and local vigilantes, lawmakers expressed alarm at the frequency of attacks on vulnerable communities.
The assault forced authorities to shut down schools across five local government areas in Kwara (Ekiti, Isin, Irepodun, Ifelodun, and Oke-Ero), as well as institutions in Kebbi and Niger States. All 47 Federal Unity Colleges nationwide were also temporarily closed, disrupting education for thousands of students.
During the debate, Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) moved the additional prayer calling for the death penalty, which was seconded by Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North). Oshiomhole demanded an investigation into reports that military personnel withdrew from a Kebbi school hours before bandits struck. “Who ordered the military to withdraw? That person should be tried for terrorism,” he stated.
Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin called for international collaboration to address the crisis, while Senator Issa Jibrin (Kogi East) highlighted Nigeria’s critical manpower deficit, noting that the country’s combined military, police, and paramilitary forces total less than one million personnel compared to Egypt’s 1.5 million.
Lawmakers also directed the Federal Ministry of Works to commence immediate rehabilitation of the Idofian to Omu-Aran to Eruku to Egbe to Kabba highway, which criminals have exploited as escape routes.
Tensions rose when Senator Seriake Dickson criticized what he termed the majority caucus’s handling of security issues, prompting protests from All Progressives Congress senators and leading to his microphone being temporarily muted.
The Senate commended President Bola Tinubu for canceling foreign engagements to personally oversee the response to recent security incidents. Lawmakers noted that federal interventions led to the rescue of 51 abducted students in Niger State and the 38 church worshippers in Kwara.
In a significant institutional reform, the Senate dissolved its Committee on National Security and Intelligence and Committee on Air Force, directing all security-related committees to submit written oversight reports and brief the chamber behind closed doors within one week.
Senators warned that insurgent activities are gradually expanding into previously secure areas, including parts of Osun State. They cited recent killings in Ekiti-speaking communities such as Eruku, Isapa, and Koro, where a retired Army General serving as a traditional ruler was murdered by bandits.
The chamber emphasized that continued inaction risks mass displacement, prolonged school closures, destruction of rural livelihoods, and severe psychological trauma for children across affected regions.