The Nigerian senate has approved new legislation that will send convicted terrorists to the hangman’s gallows. The law was passed in response to “a Bill for an Act to amend the Terrorism (prevention) Act, 2012.”
The Senate has prescribed that there will be no appropriate punishment except death for individuals found perpetrating acts of terrorism in the State. In a strategic move, the Senate also prescribed life imprisonment for individuals and bodies corporate who “willingly assist, facilitate, organise or direct the activities of persons or organisations engaged in acts of terrorism.”
Although the Terrorism (prevention) Act 2011 (amendment) Bill, 2012 was ratified by the Senate on October 17, 2012 and the House of Representatives on October 11, 2012, this new legislation was created to harmonize the differences in the two versions of the ratified laws.
In this harmonized legislation there is an amendment to Section 17 of the Terrorism Act, which now distinguishes between an “act of terror”, and “an act of conspiracy”, with lesser punishment going to those convicted for committing the latter. The maximum sentence for an act of conspiracy is 20 years.
The legislation is structured to ensure the Attorney General of the Federation continuously guarantees that the law is in line with international standards such as the United Nations conventions on Terrorism.
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