A former media aide to the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, has called for the death penalty for kidnappers, describing life imprisonment as too lenient for the crime.
Ahmad made the remark on X (formerly Twitter) while reacting to the Federal High Court in Abuja’s sentencing of three men to life imprisonment over their involvement in the kidnapping of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
On Thursday, Justice Salim Ibrahim sentenced Abdulrazak Umar (also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid), Yunusa Musa (also known as Yunusa Bin Musa), and Shamsu Adamu Sani (also known as Abu Itisar). The sentences are to run from the date of their arrest.
Before the ruling, defence counsel had pleaded for leniency, describing the convicts as first-time offenders who showed remorse by pleading guilty. They urged the court to give them a “second chance.”
In his reaction, Bashir Ahmad wrote: “Life imprisonment seems too lenient for the crime of kidnapping. In my view, the appropriate punishment for convicted kidnappers should be the death penalty.”
The case stems from the May 2026 abduction of students and teachers in Oyo State. The convicts were linked to the banned Ansaru terrorist group and had pleaded guilty to several terrorism-related charges.
Ahmad’s position has sparked fresh debate on the adequacy of punishments for kidnapping and other violent crimes in Nigeria, with many arguing that harsher penalties are needed as a deterrent amid the country’s persistent security challenges.
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