Drug Traffickers Face Death Penalty in New Senate Bill

Senate votes in favour of capital punishment for drug dealers

The death sentence for anybody found guilty of drug trafficking in the nation was passed by the Senate on Thursday, May 9.

The current NDLEA Act stipulates a maximum penalty of life in prison as the punishment.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was the subject of a study by the Committees on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, and Drugs and Narcotics. The Senate considered the report before passing the resolution.

Senator Mohammed Monguno (APC-Borno North), the chairman of the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights & Legal Matters, delivered the report at plenary.

The law, which was approved on third reading, intends to modernize the list of prohibited substances, enhance NDLEA operations, reevaluate fines, and authorize laboratory establishments.

Amendments were made to Section 11 of the current act to reflect a harsher penalty of death: “Any person who, without lawful authority; imports, manufactures, produces, processes, plants or grows the drugs popularly known as cocaine, LSD, heroin or any other similar drugs shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to be sentenced to imprisonment for life.”

Senator Ali Ndume pushed to raise the life sentence to the death penalty during debate despite the report's recommendation against the death punishment for the offence.

The death penalty amendment was placed to a voice vote by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who presided over the session and decided that the “ayes” had it during a clause-by-clause review of the Bill.

Sen. Adams Oshiomhole, however, disagreed with the decision, claiming that the “nays” had the upper hand.

He maintained that decisions involving life and death shouldn't be made hastily, but Barau countered that it was already too late because he neglected to declare division right away after making his decision.

Subsequently, the Senate passed the bill after reading it through three times.