Rivers State Governor, Nysom Wike, has declared that he would not look back to sign death warrant of any person convicted of kidnapping and affirmed by the Supreme Court.
Wike stated this yesterday when he assented to the Rivers State Neighbourhood Safety Corps Law No. 8 of 2018, the Rivers State Secret Cult and Similar Activities (Prohibition) (Amendment) Law No.6 of 2018, and the Rivers State Kidnap (Prohibition) (Amendment) No. Law No.7 of 2018, in a bid to improve the security of communities.
Commenting on the anti-kidnapping and anti-cultism laws, the governor said stiffer penalties had been approved to discourage those who might want to be involved in the offences.
He said: “If you are a cultist and you are caught, it is life imprisonment. If you are a cultist and you kill during cult activities, you will face the death penalty.
“If you are convicted of kidnapping and the Supreme Court affirms your conviction, I will sign the death warrant without looking back.”
The governor said the state government would battle cultism and kidnapping to a standstill, noting that ‘enough is enough’.
He said neighbourhood watch safety corps would support existing security agencies with intelligence and information for them to effectively fight crime and make the state safer.
He said anybody who loves the state would not do anything to undermine steps that would enhance the security of lives.
He said: “If your hands are clean, you have nothing to fear about the three laws that I have given assent to. By tomorrow, I will appoint the person that will head the Neighbourhood Watch Safety Corps.
“All criminals will face the full weight of the law. We will fight crime and ensure the state is safe for investors.”
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