A former United Nations Human Rights Envoy, Prof. Uchenna Emelonye, has urged the Senate to abandon proposals to introduce the death penalty for kidnapping.
Emelonye, a lawyer, made the appeal yesterday during a press briefing held online.
The professor warned that such a move would not curb the crime but could distract from reforms that would genuinely improve public safety. Emelonye addressed his open letter at the briefing to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and lawmakers across the country.
While strongly condemning kidnapping, Emelonye said that evidence from Nigeria and other jurisdictions showed that harsher penalties did not deter crime where enforcement remained weak.
According to him, he has over two decades of experience advising governments on counter-terrorism, criminal justice reform, and public safety.
“Kidnapping thrives not because penalties are insufficient, but due to poor detection, weak intelligence, low arrest rates, and fragile institutions,” he said.
Emelonye also shared his personal experience, revealing that his elder brother was once abducted after his police orderly was shot.
