Senate Approves Death Penalty for Drug Traffickers

The Senate has passed the 2024 Nigeria National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Bill, including a provision for the death penalty for drug traffickers, following its third reading.

According to Channels TV, the proposal was ratified on Thursday during a session where the Senate explained  the detailed examination of the report presented by Senator Tahir Munguno who plies his trade as the Chairman of the Committees on Judiciary, Human Rights & Legal Matters, and Drugs & Narcotics NDLEA Act.

During the discussion on amending penalty clauses to empower the agency, Senator Peter Nwebonyi suggested replacing life imprisonment with the death penalty for drug traffickers under clause 11 of the Act.

At the initial stages of the voting, a voice voting was conducted and it seemed that they were aginst the proposal, but after a second vote, the Deputy Senate President ruled in its favor, causing some discontent among certain lawmakers.

The bill was referred to the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters for further review.