By damilare oyedele
The National Assembly plans to introduce a bill that will impose the death penalty on those convicted of vandalizing national assets.
Senator Adamu Aliero, a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and current Senator representing Kebbi State, revealed this in a recent interview with journalists.
The proposed bill seeks to combat the widespread vandalism of essential infrastructure, such as power installations, railway tracks, and airport facilities. Senator Aliero stated that the National Assembly is alarmed by the ongoing damage to these assets and aims to deter such criminal activities by implementing severe penalties, including life imprisonment.
He said: “On the issue of vandalization. You see, it is very unfortunate that it is not only the rail line that has been vandalized. As you rightly know, power installations, airport installations, oil and gas installations, and bridges have been vandalized.
“The national assembly is thinking of coming up with a very strong legislation that will make it criminal. If possible, any vendor caught sabotaging public infrastructure, the punishment should attract the death penalty. Probably if that happens, it will go a long way in reducing vandalization drastically.”
Honorable Blessing Onuh, a member of the House of Representatives, has proposed the installation of anti-theft devices to safeguard national assets from vandalism. This suggestion follows the recent arrest by the Nigeria Police Force of suspects caught with truckloads of stolen railway tracks across the country. Additionally, the Minister of Transportation, Alkali S’aid, has linked recent train derailments to the tampering of rail lines by vandals, emphasizing the urgent need for effective measures to protect critical infrastructure.
Reacting to the activities of vandals, he said, “the ministry and, of course, the Nigerian Railway Corporation are working hard to ensure that these vandals do not destroy our properties.