Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of
Kano state, says the kidnappers of nine children in Kano, will face death
penalty.
Earlier in the month, the police
arrested some suspects in connection with the kidnap of some Kano-born children
who were sold off in Onitsha, Anambra state.
On Thursday, Ganduje inaugurated
a 16-man panel to probe the abduction and directed the ministry of justice to
immediately amend the penal code on kidnapping to death penalty.
Ganduje said kidnapping had taken a new dimension in the
state and that only capital punishment could contain it.
He said the rescued children had
been deprived of their culture, religion and parental care.
“These children will be
rehabilitated. We must rehabilitate them. We must make them continue performing
Islamic religion. They will grow in out religion and culture,” he said
Ganduje announced that the
rescued children would enjoy the free and compulsory basic and secondary
education introduced by his administration, adding that the government had also
offered university scholarship to them.
He also donated N1 million each
to the parents of the victims.
Parts of the terms of reference
given to the commission include: “To conduct an inquiry into cases of missing
persons in Kano State from the year 2010 to date and to procure all such
evidence, written or oral, and to examine all such persons as witnesses as the
commissioners may think it necessary or desirable to procure or examine.”
“To summon any person in Nigeria
to attend any meeting of the commissioners to give evidence or produce any
document or other thing in his possession and to require the evidence (whether
written or oral) of any witness to be made on oath or declaration, such oath or
declaration.
“To admit or exclude the public
or any member of the public or press from any hearing of the commission, to
prepare comprehensive data of missing persons in Kano State within the period
and circumstances in which they disappeared.
“To find out both immediate and
remote causes of cases of missing persons and to prepare and submit a written
report including findings and recommendations to the Government of Kano State.”
During the occasion, Adeolu
Adeyemo, chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), who is a member of
the commission, wept as he disassociated Christians and CAN from the dastardly
act.
“As I sit here today, I see the
gravity of sin committed by the perpetrators of this crime. I have seen the
harm done to the parents because I am a parent,” he said.
“I was touched, very touched when
we learnt about the rescue of these kidnapped children. It broke my heart and
my heart is still broken. This is a crime against humanity which is condemned
by God.
“In the Bible, it is not
permitted to separate a child from the mother until the age of 13. This is evil
punishable in the sight of God. Those people who committed this crime are not
Christians, and do not represent the tenets of Christianity.
“Kano is a mini-Nigeria and we
want to thank Governor Ganduje for making Kano a home for all. Nobody kidnaps
for Christ. CAN condemn this act and Christians all over the world condemn it ”
Boniface Igwe, eze Ndigbo of
Kano, described the issue as worrisome and condemnable.
“Whatever is bad is bad. This is
not only a taboo, it is a criminal matter that must be tackled. The Igbo
community in Kano has not experienced this kind of thing,” he said.
“Not only that the children were
kidnapped but they changed their religion. We want to thank Kano people for
their understanding. We condemn it and our leaders in the east condemn it
too.”
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com