Lagos set to impose death sentence on kidnappers

Lagos State Government may soon join the growing number of states such as Edo, Ogun and Anambra that have imposed death sentence on kidnappers.

According to a private member bill sponsored by the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, any person, who kidnaps, abducts, detains, captures or takes another person by any means or tricks with intent to demand ransom or do anything against his/her will commit an offence, and liable on conviction to death sentence.

The bill went through a public hearing on yesterday at the Lateef jakande Auditorium within the Assembly premises with some stakeholders in attendance.

Attempt to kidnap is also criminalised under the bill and it was suggested that such a person would be committed to life imprisonment.

Also, the bill is against false representation to release a kidnapped or abducted person under Section 4, and this attracts seven years imprisonment.

Furthermore, the bill provides that any person, who knowingly or wilfully allows or permits his premises, building or a place belonging or occupied to which he has control of, to be used for the purposes of keeping a person kidnapped is guilty of an offence under the law and liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment of 14 years without an option of fine.

A legal practitioner, Mr Richard Komolafe from the United Action for Change (UAC), who spoke at the stakeholders meeting, commended the bill but said that death sentence was no longer fashionable all over the world.

Komolafe said:”Hanging itself is inhuman by conventions as against life imprisonment. I appreciate this bill, it is very timely, but we hope it will be passed in time.”

He, however, urged the lawmakers to find a way of not getting genuine rescuers from being roped in cases of pretentious kidnap.

Another stakeholder, who is the Director of Legal Drafting in the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Yejide Kolawole, who also commended the bill, said that it was essential that element of conspiracy and attempt to kidnap be added in the bill.

“I suggest 21 years imprisonment for conspiracy to kidnap, depending on the level of involvement. However, seven years penalty for section 4 is too mild. I suggest 20 years to deter those who would want to engage in the crime.

“On Section 5, anyone who instigates kidnapping should be given a stiffer penalty of 25 years, though the person does not participate overtly in act.

“On Section 7, owners of a building used to aid kidnapping should have a higher punishment than mere forfeiture of property,” she said.

Also, a Chief Magistrate in Lagos State, Mrs Seri Sholebo said that it was fundamental to add conspiracy to kidnapping, stressing that the ministry had not been able to convict offenders on conspiracy since 2011.

Sholebo however, suggested 180 days window for trials of offenders rather than the stipulated 60 days due to anticipated delay in handling the cases.

A Director in the Lagos State Office of Public Defender (OPD), Mr. Borokini Fatai wanted to know what could happen if the trial could not be concluded within 60 days, as he said that a defence counsel could ask for the withdrawal of the matter after the stipulated number of days.

Nine months after, boy who drank acid in Ogun school dies

Three-year-old Darasimi Ogunwunmi, a Kindergarten One pupil, who drank caustic soda left carelessly around his classroom by teachers of his private school, Fahsal Children’s School, Ilupeju Estate, Idiroko, Ogun State in November 2015, has died.

After nine months of agony, being unable to swallow either liquid or solid food and six different surgeries at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Darasimi succumbed to his injuries few days after his last surgical operation on Monday, September 12.

The last surgery was another attempt to open up the boy’s stomach and throat which had become damaged by the chemical, which he drank when he was thirsty in school.

For Darasimi, the last days of his short life were spent in a condition his mother, Toyin, described as a living hell.

Toyin told our correspondent, “My son would have died long ago if not because of the money that kind Nigerians raised for his treatment. The money financed his surgeries and rehabilitation since that time.

“If I knew he had no chance of survival, I would have prayed that God should give him rest long ago because my son suffered for every day he lived after that incident. Every day, I saw him lying in the hospital bed or sitting at home struggling to drink ordinary water with pain, I cried bitterly.”

Saturday PUNCH had exclusively reported in January and February how the proprietor of Fahsal, Mrs. Fausat Abubakar, allegedly introduced soap making business on the school premises.

But rather than remove the production far from the reach of her pupils, the boy’s parents alleged that the soap was being produced right beside the classrooms.

On November 19, 2015, the worse happened when Darasimi became thirsty and his teachers turned a deaf ear to his incessant cry for water.

Part of the caustic soda already mixed and allegedly left around was what Darasimi drank from.

His teachers only realised what had happened when the boy was found outside his classroom crying and bleeding from the mouth, it was learnt.

The teachers applied palm oil to the boy’s mouth but rushed him to the hospital when they realised his case was critical.

Ogun government promised us justice, did nothing – Boy’s parents

After Saturday PUNCH’s story, the Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Modupe Mujota, said that she had constituted a team to investigate the case.

But the family explained that nothing had been done about bringing the proprietor of their son’s school to justice.

Our correspondent contacted the commissioner on Thursday to ask if anything was ever done about the boy’s case and what the outcome of the state’s investigation was.

 “There was a full investigation. But because there was no hard evidence, it became difficult to take the issue up legally. We combed the premises of the school and nothing was found, probably because time had elapsed and the school might have cleaned up,” Mujota said.

When asked what step the ministry took after the completion of the investigation, she said an action was taken against the proprietor.

But the commissioner said she could not disclose details of what that action was when asked for details.

She said, “There are larger factors to be considered when you want to close down a school like the population the school is serving.”

When our correspondent finally told Mrs. Mujota that the boy was dead, she expressed surprise and said “we were not informed.”

She also said after our initial reports, the state government team had visited the family twice.

“If they say we did not visit, between when and when are they talking about? We have pictures as evidence of our team’s visit to the child and his mother. There were allegations from the school proprietor that the boy’s parents were trying to extort her. We went to verify the claim.”

(PUNCH)

Four die in Ogun after drinking liquor

Four persons have reportedly died in Ibara Housing Estate, Abeokuta, Ogun State, after drinking a local liquor, popularly called ogogoro.

Our correspondent learnt that the seller of the liquor, Salako Taloju, who also worked as a gateman, was arrested by policemen from the Ibara Police Station on Tuesday.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Taloju was drunk at the time of arrest.

He was said to have told the police that the victims were residents of the area and he did not poison the liquor.

The deceased were identified only as Baba Imeko, Baba Onwenue and Easy, while the fourth victim’s name had yet to be ascertained.

Our correspondent gathered that three of the victims died on Monday when they all took the liquor, while the fourth victim died on Tuesday.

It was gathered that Taloju, who had been selling the liquor for over 20 years, resisted arrest, claiming that he was innocent.

Taloju, who spoke incoherently to journalists, said, “We were friends and we had been drinking together for a long time. I do not know why they have to accuse me now of killing them. I also took out of the liquor and nothing happened to me.”

When asked if he had reported the matter to his boss, Taloju said, “Do you want to kill me? My boss has warned me on several occasions not to drink again, but I refused.”

One of the neighbours, Mrs. Kemi Adepitan, confirmed that the victims died after consuming the liquor.

She said, “It is true that they died. Some other sympathisers and I paid a condolence visit to the house of one of the victims this morning.”

The acting Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the command did not receive any report of death.

He said “As far as we are concerned, it is a rumour. If any of their relatives comes and complains that their family members died, then, we can confirm it. We have not seen any corpse. Even though a suspect has been arrested, he is drunk and we cannot rely on his statement.”

Source: Punch