The Senate, yesterday approves the death sentence as punishment for hard drugs barons and couriers.

The verdict equally applies to manufacturing, trafficking, dealing in or delivery of the drugs by any means. 

The drugs specifically mentioned in a new bill sponsored by the Chief Whip of the Senate, Mohammed Ali Ndume, are cocaine and heroin, among others.

The bill is the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024. 

The maximum punishment in the extant law for offenders is life imprisonment. 

But, during consideration of the report on the bill for passage, yesterday, Ndume recommended that the penalty should be “toughened” to death penalty.

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.

He 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, including a former governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, protested against the decision of the Senate. Oshiomhole, who looked agitated, raising his voice, told his colleagues that he would rarely joke with any matter that had to do with life and death.

“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,” Oshiomhole insisted.

However, the former president of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) lost the battle as he was overruled by the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who presided. Jibrin tutored Oshiomhole on Senate procedures, saying that he ought to have called for a division of the Senate immediately the voting took place and before the Senate moved to another clause in the amendment bill.

“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”, Jibrin stood his ground and stuck with the decision of the Senate.

Another lawmaker from Akwa Ibom State, Sampson Ekong, also tried to protest the ruling, but he, too, was overruled. The Senate went ahead to pass the bill for third reading. The report on the bill was jointly produced by the Committees on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters/Drugs and Narcotics.

Speaking with Senate Correspondents after the Senate rose, the lead Chairman, Mohammed Monguno, said the Senate actually approved the death sentence. Monguno said the protest by Oshiomhole and other lawmakers, even if they had louder voices, did not change the ruling of the presiding officer.

“The ruling of the presiding officer is the position of the Senate,” he added.