Mohammed Shosanya
The upper chamber of the National Assembly on Thursday approved death penalty for importers, manufacturers and traffickers of hard drugs.
This is even as Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence backed the cybersecurity levy initiated by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The decision of the Senate to approve death penalty as punishment for importation of hard drugs into the country, was sequel to a debate on a bill on National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
The report on the bill was jointly produced by the Committees on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters/Drugs and Narcotics.
The punishment is also applied to manufacturing, trafficking, dealing in or delivery of the drugs by any means.
The drugs specifically mentioned in a new bill passed by the Senate on Thursday are Cocaine, Heroin, among others.
The maximum punishment in the extant law for offenders, which is life imprisonment, was amended by the lawmakers to death sentence.
During debate on the report on the bill, Senate Whip, Sen. Ali Ndume, recommended that the penalty should be “toughened” to the death penalty, which majority of the senators agreed to.
The penalty for drug importation or dealership is captured in Section 11 of the extant law, which Ndume sought to be increased to death sentence.
Ndume said: “This should be changed to the 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.”
But, some senators, who protested against the death sentence were overruled by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau, who presided over the plenary at that moment.
Specifically, former Governor of Edo State, Sen. Adams Oshiomhole, loudly protested against the decision of the Senate.
Protesting the death sentence, Sen. Oshiomhole said, “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.”
Overruling Oshiomhole, the Deputy President of the Senate said, “this is about procedure. You were supposed to call for a division, you didn’t do so, and I am sorry I can’t help you.”
Sen. Sampson Ekong, (Akwa Ibom State), who also tried to protest the ruling, was also overruled.
The Senate went ahead to pass the bill for third reading.
Addressing newsmen after the plenary, Senator Mohammed Monguno, who lead debate on the Bill, disclosed that the Senate actually approved the death sentence.
He explained that the protest by Oshiomhole and other lawmakers, even if they had louder voices, did not change the ruling of the presiding officer, adding, “the ruling of the presiding officer is the position of the Senate.”
Addressing the controversy trailing the cybersecurity levy, the Chairman, Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Senator Shehu Umar Buba, said that the levy is not punitive as it has numerous exemptions to protect and relieve ordinary citizens, particularly the poor.
According to him,the exemptions include salary payments, intra-account transfers, loan disbursements and repayments, and other financial transactions.
He further said that the levy is provided for in the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) (Amendment) Act, 2024.
Senator Buba said the amendments to the Cybercrimes Act were a collaborative effort with the National Assembly’s ICT and Cyber Security Committee.
The committee also underwent a transparent public hearing process, receiving contributions from various stakeholders. Both Houses of the National Assembly unanimously passed it before President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed it into law.
Senator Umar emphasised that the provisions for the cybersecurity levy have been in place since 2015 but were delayed due to unclear interpretations and applications.
He said: “The Cybercrimes Act of 2015 has provisions for imposing a cybersecurity levy since its enactment, but the vagueness of Section 44 led to different interpretations until the 2024 amendments. The levy is 0.5%, equivalent to half a per cent of the value of all electronic transactions by businesses specified in the Second Schedule to the Act.
“The amendments addressed crucial gaps in the Act and empowered the nation to implement the National Cybersecurity Programme effectively. They also seek to realign and empower the country to combat the inadequate funding and disruptive effects of cyber threats on national security and critical economic infrastructures.”
Senator Umar underscored the criticality of the cybersecurity levy’s implementation, stating that its prudent utilisation will bolster the nation’s capacity to evaluate, execute, upgrade, and fortify the security of national critical economic infrastructure, thereby safeguarding the nation’s cyberspace.
The Committee commended the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for initiating the operationalising the cybersecurity levy, highlighting its benefits far outweigh its drawback.
He expressed appreciation to the leaders and representatives of MDAs at the federal and state levels, as well as to all stakeholders, who contributed to this effort’s success.
Maintaining that the Committee’s mandate is to create laws that align with the aspirations of Nigerians, he appealed for public support, assuring that the policy will yield maximum benefits for citizens in the shortest possible time.
