Prof. Uchenna Emelonye, a legal expert and former United Nations Human Rights envoy, has formally called on the Nigerian Senate to drop its proposal to mandate the death penalty for kidnapping.
Speaking during a virtual press conference on Tuesday, the 16th of December, 2025, the professor argued that escalating the severity of punishment would fail to stop the crime wave and would instead divert attention from the systemic reforms required to protect the public.
In an open letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and members of the National Assembly, Emelonye who brings over 20 years of experience in advising global governments on counter-terrorism and justice reform maintained that the root of the problem lies in the collapse of the justice chain rather than a lack of harsh laws. He asserted that “Kidnapping thrives not because penalties are insufficient, but due to poor detection, weak intelligence, low arrest rates, and fragile institutions.”
The professor’s perspective is informed by personal tragedy, as he shared that his own brother was a victim of abduction following a violent attack on his security detail. He argued that the suffering of families proves that the country needs proactive prevention and robust investigation rather than “symbolic punishments.”
Emelonye also warned that attempting to fold kidnapping into the Terrorism Act is a flawed strategy that ignores existing legal frameworks. He pointed out that many sub-national governments already have the ultimate penalty on their books, stating that “At least 14 states, including Lagos, Rivers, Oyo, Ogun and Anambra, have anti-kidnapping laws that impose the death penalty in aggravated cases. The persistence of the crime shows that enforcement, not legislation, is the major challenge.”
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Furthermore, he highlighted the potential for legal and administrative friction, noting that “Kidnapping is constitutionally a state crime, and federalising it through the Terrorism Act could disrupt state prosecution systems, overload the Federal High Court and trigger constitutional challenges.”
Concluding his briefing, the rights expert cited the historical failure of capital punishment to act as a deterrent in Nigeria. He noted the massive gap between sentencing and enforcement, observing that “Nigeria’s experience with capital punishment for crimes such as armed robbery and murder has not reduced violence. About 3,504 inmates are currently on death row, yet fewer than 15 executions have taken place in nearly two decades.”