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INSECURITY: Niger gov canvasses stiffer penalties for criminals

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Niger wants to join list of oil producing states

The Niger state governor, Abubakar Bello, on Monday canvassed for stiffer punishment for criminals in the state.

Bello who expressed worries over the manner in which criminals in the state get bail in the court said there is a dire need for an urgent improvement on the existing penalties in Nigeria’s statues book for crimes such as rape, kidnapping, and drug addiction among others.

He said the current punishment for criminals in the statues book is too lenient for the offenders, adding that the judiciary should find a way to review it, in order to allow stringent penalties.

The governor made the call at the swearing-in of Justice Aliyu Mayaki as the Chief Justice of the state in Minna.

Going forward, Bello said the judiciary was already overdue for an aggressive reform to deal with the crimes.

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He observed that a situation where criminals arrested and charged to court obtained bail within 48 hours based on the archaic laws was not good for Nigeria’s contemporary society.

He, however, implored the judiciary and the legislative arms of government to work closely towards facilitating the immediate amendment of such laws and consequently proffer lasting solutions to the increasing wave of insecurity confronting the country.

“I also realise that for this programme to be effective, there is the need to implement full autonomy for the judiciary. I hope we can implement this autonomy and I hope our income will increase so that we can give you a reasonable amount every month to renovate your courts,” he said.

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