Skip to main content

Enugu State to take over property used by kidnappers

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State

Enugu State Government is set to amend its Criminal Code to provide for the seizure of any property used as a hideout by kidnappers, the Commissioner for Information, Dr Godwin Udeuhele, has said.

Briefing newsmen on Saturday in Enugu on the outcome of the state executive council meeting held late Friday, Udeuhele said the move was to deter kidnappers.

He said the council had empowered the Attorney- General and Commissioner for Justice to forward an amendment bill of the state’s criminal law to the state legislature.

“Approval was given to the amendment of Section 315 of the Criminal Code Law, 2004 of Enugu State that was amended in 2009.

“The latest amendment provides for additional punishment of demolishing buildings used in the imprisonment of kidnap victims in order to deter kidnappers and their accomplices from this nefarious act.

“If kidnap victims are traced to a building and you are found guilty upon determination of the case, such building will be demolished and government takes over the piece of land. No compensation,” he said.

The commissioner said that the move would make developers to be more conscious of their uncompleted projects, which unknown to them, could easily be turned to den of kidnappers.

“If you built your house and left it porous for kidnappers or connive with them to use such buildings to hide their victims and you are found guilty, government pulls it down and takes over,” he said.

Udeuhele said that approval was also given for the upgrade of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu to a multi-campus and degree awarding institution to meet the socio-political and economic needs of the state.

He said that a draft bill to that effect would immediately be forwarded to the state assembly to be passed into law.

“If IMT becomes a multi-campus system, other branch campuses will be opened in different locations of the state.

“Instead of concentrating everybody in the metropolis, thereby, increasing house rent, you send them to different locations. Maybe each zone will have one or two faculties,” he said.

He said that the move was praise-worthy as the state government already had two polytechnics.

The commissioner said that the State Polytechnic in Iwollo, which currently awarded only OND and HND in agriculture related areas, had applied for the accreditation of more conventional courses.

“Council also approved the award of contracts for the rehabilitation of additional 20.9km of roads in the state.

He said the roads were Opi-Obollo-Affor and 9th Mile Corner internal roads, to be built at the cost of N1.36 billion.

Udeuhele said that N122.22 million was approved for the supply of 10 new 200 KVA sound-proof diesel generators for street lights.

He said that the council also approved Oct. 15 as the date for the launch of the 25 road projects, buildings and water projects to be embarked on in the 17 local government areas.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Houthis Claim Attack on Central Israel in Response to Gaza ‘Massacres’

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has taken a concerning regional turn as the Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for an attack on central Israel. The group announced this as part of their escalating response to what they describe as "massacres" in Gaza amid the Israeli military’s operations in the strip. Details of the Attack The Houthis, a Shiite militant group with ties to Iran, declared that they launched missile and drone strikes targeting Israel. While the exact impact of these attacks remains unclear, reports suggest that Israel’s defense systems intercepted several threats over its airspace. This marks a significant escalation as the Houthis widen their involvement in the conflict beyond their typical operations within Yemen and neighboring Saudi Arabia. The Houthis’ Justification In their statement, the Houthis framed the attack as retaliation for Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which they characterized as indiscriminate bombings resultin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fire: UniJos Senate convenes emergency meeting on Monday

Fire at the University of Jos Library University of Jos is to convene an emergency senate meeting on Monday to review the level of damage done to the institution by the Saturday night inferno. The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sebastian Maimako, disclosed this on Sunday after inspecting areas affected by the incident. The fire, which lasted for more than six hours, destroyed the Library Complex that equally houses the faculties of management and social sciences. The fire also destroyed examination scripts, books and very crucial materials. Consequently, the vice-chancellor said “the Senate will meet tomorrow (Monday) to take a decision about the unmarked examination scripts that were burnt.” On the cause of the inferno, Maimako said investigation had commenced, adding that “nothing has been confirmed yet. We are still investigating.” The vice chancellor said the school was already working with federal authorities toward establishing a main fire station since the mini fire station in t...
Post a Comment
Read more

NDLEA arrests 252 suspects, seizes 3,073 kg Indian hemp

NDLEA operatives The NDLEA in Niger on Monday said that it had arrested 252 suspects and seized 3,073.9 kilogramme of Indian hemp(cannabis sativa) in the state. The NDLEA Commander in the state, Mr Joseph Iweajunwa, who disclosed this in Minna, said that the operations were carried out between January and September. “Our operations in Niger State from January to September 2016 led to the arrest of 252 suspects and seizure of 3,073.997 kilogramme of cannabis sativa,’’ he said. Iweajunwa said that within the period, the agency also seized 1, 530 litres of liquid drugs, especially cough syrup with codeine. He said the NDLEA also counselled and rehabilitated 90 drug addicts in the state within the period under review. The agency, he added, secured convictions of only nine of the suspects because the judge at the Federal High Court, Minna, went on leave. “ Now that the judge has resumed more suspects will be tried,’’ he said. He advised motorists, especially commercial vehicle dri...
Post a Comment
Read more