Manufacture or Peddle Drug, Get Ready to Die, Says Nigerian Senate

The Nigerian Senate has given its nod to the death penalty for anyone involved in processing, manufacturing and trafficking of drugs.

The approval, which came in response to the havoc caused by drug use in the country, also includes a fifteen year jail term for users of drugs.

The Senate approval follows the consideration of the report of its committees on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters and Drugs and Narcotics in response to the amendment of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024 (HB. 472) as presented by the APC law maker, representing Borno North, Sen Mohammed Monguno.

The Red Chamber, as the Senate is often referred to, noted that the amendment became very imperative because majority of youths are engaged in substance abuse, sometimes innocently due to peer pressure.

Subsequent to the passage however, the Senate transformed into a committee of the whole to consider the report clause by clause.

However, while reviewing the recommendations by the committees, particularly as they affect issues of the penalty and provisions for strengthening the operations of the agency, the duo of Senate Chief Whip, Sen Ali Ndume, APC, Borno North, and Dep Chief Whip, Peter Nwebonyi, APC, representing Ebonyi North, proposed the death penalty proposal, in place of life sentence for drug traffickers.

The proposal was subsequently put to a voice vote, where it appeared the "Nays" had it. However, when the question was subjected to a second vote, the Presiding officer, Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, representing APC, Kano North, ruled in favour of the "Ayes".

Although the decision led to a slight raucus, following the objection raised by some lawmakers, especially Sen Adams Oshiomhole, APC, Edo North, who did not hide his displeasure over what he described as a hasty consideration and passage of the amended clause, the decision was sustained.

The former Edo state governor urged the Senate to be careful with any law that dealt with life, as according to him, there is need to exercise caution on matters that affect life