The Senate on Thursday approved death penalty for those who sell and bring cocaine, heroin, and other strong drugs into the country.
The suggested capital punishment also applies to making, moving, selling, or delivering strong drugs by any method.
The Senate reached this decision during discussions on the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
Under the current law, the maximum punishment for offenders is life imprisonment.
During the consideration of the bill on Thursday, Senate Whip, Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South), proposed that the punishment of life imprisonment be changed to death penalty.
The penalty for drug importation or dealership is mentioned in Section 11 of the current law, which Ndume suggested should be increased to a death sentence.
He stated, “This (life imprisonment) should be changed to a death sentence. This is the standard worldwide. We have to do this to address this problem of drugs that has seriously affected our youths.
“It should be toughened beyond life imprisonment. It should be the death sentence, either by hanging or any way.”
Some of his colleagues, including former Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, disagreed with this proposal.
Oshiomhole told his colleagues that he would rarely joke with any matter concerning life and death.
“When a matter has to do with life and death, we should be accountable. Let’s divide the Senate. This is lawmaking. We are not here to take voice votes,” Oshiomhole said.
The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, overruled Oshiomhole's position during the plenary.
Jibrin told Oshiomhole that he should have called for a division of the Senate immediately after the voting took place and before the Senate moved to another clause in the amendment bill.
“This is about procedure. You were supposed to call for a division; you didn’t do so. I am sorry, I can’t help you”, the DSP stood his ground and stuck with the decision of the Senate.
Similarly, Senator Sampson Ekong from Akwa Ibom State also opposed the resolution of the Senate but he was overruled.
The Senate proceeded to pass the bill for a third reading.
The report on the bill was jointly produced by the Committees on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters/Drugs and Narcotics.
Speaking with Senate correspondents after the plenary, the Chairman of the Joint Committee, Mohammed Monguno, said the Senate approved the death sentence, noting that the voices of Oshiomhole and others did not change the ruling of the presiding officer.
“The ruling of the presiding officer is the position of the Senate,: he added
