The Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, on Friday signed into law a bill prescribing the death penalty for convicted kidnappers in the state.
The law, which is an amendment of a previous one, also states that any premises where victims of kidnapping were held would be demolished.
Declaring that the penalty applies to all stages of kidnapping, Mr. Oshiomhole said whether the victim dies in captivity, in the process of being kidnapped, or while being rescued, the penalty remains the same.
He called on Edo State youth to desist from all forms criminality as an excuse for unemployment and appealed to parents and guardians to be aware of the activities of their wards.
He assured residents of the state that no special tribunals would be set up to try cases of kidnapping in order to relieve concerns over the slow judicial process in Nigeria.
Kidnapping has been on the rise in Edo and many other states in Nigeria. One of the most recent was the kidnap of radical lawyer, Mike Ozekhome.
Apart from Edo, Bayelsa State also has a law imposing death penalty for kidnappers.
