Senate has commenced the process of amending Nigeria’s Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, passing the amendment bill through first reading at Thursday’s plenary.
Terrorism Act
The proposal, sponsored by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, follows a heated debate on worsening insecurity in the country, during which lawmakers agreed that kidnapping should be classified as terrorism and made punishable by death.
The amendment bill is expected to strengthen the legal framework and introduce harsher penalties in response to the rising wave of abductions nationwide.
At the same plenary, the Senate constituted an 18-member ad hoc committee to investigate the implementation of the Safe School Initiative.
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu was named chairman, with Senators Tony Nwoye, Yemi Adaramodu, Harry Ipalibo, Ede Dafinone, Mustapha Saliu, Diket Plang, Binus Yaroe, Kaka Shehu, Musa Garba Maidoki, among others, as members.
The decision followed concerns over the utilisation of funds allocated to the programme, given sustained attacks on schools. Lawmakers questioned why institutions remain vulnerable despite years of funding, citing the recent deadly raid at Government Comprehensive Girls Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, where gunmen killed the vice principal and abducted 25 students.
The committee is mandated to probe the programme thoroughly and submit its findings within four weeks.
These developments come amid widespread insecurity across the country. Last week, gunmen invaded St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State, abducting more than 300 pupils and teachers. Similar attacks have also been recorded in Kwara, Kano, and Borno states.
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday declared a national security emergency and ordered increased recruitment into the armed forces and police.
He also approved the use of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camps as training depots and directed that officers withdrawn from VIP protection duties undergo crash training before redeployment to high-risk areas.
Additionally, the President authorised the Department of State Services (DSS) to immediately deploy trained forest guards to flush out terrorists and bandits hiding in forests across the country.
