Asaba — The Delta State House of Assembly yesterday passed into law the Death Sentence Bill for any kidnapper caught with arms.

Before now, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan had described kidnappers, pipeline vandals and illegal oil bunkerers as "criminals" and said should be treated as such when caught.

Shortly after that, Danile Mayuku, representing Warri South West, sponsored a bill for death penalty for kidnappers. Mayuku, also the House Committee chairman on Finance and Appropriation yesterday moved the motion enacting the death sentence to serve as deterrent.

He sought that the Criminal Code Law Volume II of the Defunct Bendel State (1976) section 3(1) as applicable in the state be amended to allow the killing of anyone who unlawfully takes a person out of the state to imprison or deprive him of his personal liberty without his consent.

He argued that any kidnapper caught with arms should be sentenced to death but if there is no weapon involved, the kidnapper should face life imprisonment. "Upon conviction, the option of life imprisonment should be totally expunged from the case of a kidnapper carrying arms, he should be sentenced to death", he said.