100 Kidnappers Face Death-Penalty In Edo -

OVER one hundred suspected
kidnappers face the death sentence
in Edo State following the signing
into law of the state kidnapping law
by Governor Adams Oshiomhole.
Kidnapping in the state became
worrisome after hoodlums
descended on the state to a level
that even teachers were being
kidnapped for ransom. Lagos lawyer,
Chief Mike Ozekhome, a Benin High
Court Judge, Justice Daniel
Okungbowa, a chieftain of the APC,
Athanacious Ugbome, were among
those who suffered from the
kidnappers onslaught along the
Auchi-Abuja road, in Edo State.
It was later learnt that most of the
evil perpetrated along that road was
executed by a gang led by a kidnap
kingpin, Kelvin Oniarah Eziegbe, who
is currently facing trial in Abuja.
Ordinarily, Oshiomhole believes very
strongly in the sanctity of life but on
18 October, shortly after one of the
bloody kidnap operations, the
governor had no choice than to
exercise his constitutional powers as
governor, by signing into law the
Kidnap Prohibition Law as amended
by the state House of Assembly.
On that fateful day, Oshiomhole was
in his office attending to state
issues, when the news filtered in
that those attending Esan
Professionals Conference, scheduled
for Uromi, were kidnapped while
one was killed almost at the spot
where Ozekhome was kidnapped.
Sunday Vanguard learnt that the
suspected kidnappers, who
reportedly wore police uniforms
with bullet proof vests, stopped the
victims and informed them that they
were under arrest. They were said to
have ordered Mrs Ekhomu and her
children to a vehicle while the chief
executive officer of Thomas White
Plc. Mr. Emmanuel Obiyan, and Dr
Ekhomu, a security expert, were
pushed to another vehicle.
The kidnappers headed towards
Sapele. Sunday Vanguard learnt
however that on realizing that their
captors were kidnappers and not
policemen after he inquired about
the police station they were being
taken to, Dr Ekhomu held one of the
kidnappers with a gun and there was
a fight. In the process, Dr. Ekhomu
suffered a gunshot on his hand but
he managed to escape through the
bush.
*Suspected kidnappers
*Suspected kidnappers
Apparently angered by the Ekhomu
resistance, the kidnappers rained
bullets on Obiyan and abandoned
his body. The gang that held Mrs.
Ekhomu and her children ran into
trouble when men of the Joint Task
Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta
intercepted them around Sapele and
rescued them. The body of Obiyan
was deposited at the Irrua Specialist
Hospital. The sad incident occurred
on Thursday, 17 October.
Oshiomhole, visibly angry, came to
office at about 7:30am the following
day, and called for the amended
kidnap law file. While this was going
on, appeal came to the state
government to flood the Auchi-Abuja
road with soldiers. Oshiomhole was
particularly touched that Esan sons
and daughters, who came home
from Europe, America and other
parts of the world for a meeting,
were either kidnapped or shot dead.
At about 11am, the governor signed
the kidnap bill into law and urged all
those concerned to ensure full
implementation. The law prescribed
death penalty for
kidnappers.Speaking while signing
the law, the governor said
government would do everything
within its powers to ensure the
safety of lives and property in the
state.
Oshiomhole disagreed with those
who argue that kidnapping is a
result of unemployment, saying “no
one should try to trivialise very
complex issues”. He said: “We need
coordinated efforts to deal with the
problem of crime in Nigeria”,
lamenting that the governor does
not have the power to deal with any
security officer who might have
misbehaved or through whose
negligence the people might have
been exposed to any criminal act.
“At best, we are able to provide
resources and equipment as we have
tried to do within our limited
resources in spite of the fact that the
language, the letter and the spirit of
the constitution is clear that security
matters are federal issues which is
why the federal government
continues to have monopoly of the
police and of all the armed forces
and the state security services.
None of these comes under the
control of the state government. I
am convinced as a matter of fact
that the Federal Government is doing
its best to arm and equip the police
and the other security agencies.
There are no quick-fix solutions to
the issue of crime. Criminals are not
in limited number that you
exterminate and go and sleep”, he
said.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/
bad-days-ahead-kidnappers-100-face-
death-penalty-edo/#
sthash.D28f3ovt.dpufhttp://
naijalatest.com.ng/100-kidnappers-face-
death-penalty-edo/

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.10