The Senate on Thursday approved death penalty for dealers and importers of cocaine, heroin and other hard drugs into the country.

The proposed capital punishment also applies to manufacturing, trafficking, dealing in or delivery of hard drugs by any means.

The Senate arrived at the resolution on the floor of the red chamber after deliberations on the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

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

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During the consideration of the report on the bill for passage on Thursday, Senate Whip, Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South), recommended that the punishment of life imprisonment 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 a death sentence.

He said, “This (life imprisonment) should be changed to a 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.”

READ ALSO: JUST IN: Panic As Oyo Demolishes Shops In Popular Ibadan Market

This proposal did not sit well with some of his colleagues, including former Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, who took to the floor to voice out his reservations.

Oshiomhole told his colleagues that he would rarely joke with any matter concerning 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 said.

His position was overruled by the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who presided over the plenary.

Jibrin told Oshiomhole that he should have called for a division of the Senate immediately after the voting took place and before the Senate moved to another clause in the amendment bill.

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“This is about procedure. You were supposed to call for a division; you didn’t do so. I am sorry, I can’t help you”, the DSP stood his ground and stuck with the decision of the Senate.

Similarly, Senator Sampson Ekong from Akwa Ibom State also kicked against the resolution of the Senate but he was overruled.

The Senate went ahead to pass the bill for a 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 plenary, the Chairman of the Joint Committee, Mohammed Monguno, said the Senate approved the death sentence, noting that the voices of Oshiomhole and others did not change the ruling of the presiding officer.

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

After being buried alive for 24 hours, a Nigerian man, Young C, has been successfully exhumed after spending 24 hours buried alive in a coffin.

This feat was announced on his Instagram account on Thursday afternoon, accompanied by the revelation that his TikTok account had been suspended.

Earlier, Young C had updated his Instagram account, reassuring his followers that he was still alive and in good condition, despite experiencing physical discomfort and running out of water.

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Young C embarked on this challenge on Wednesday, announcing his intention to be buried alive for 24 hours and broadcasting live footage from the coffin at night.

Young C’s feat bears resemblance to a similar challenge undertaken by American YouTuber MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson), who spent 50 hours buried alive two years ago to raise awareness about deforestation. Recently, MrBeast attempted to surpass his record by spending 7 consecutive days buried in a coffin, overcoming physical and mental challenges before being exhumed.

Watch video below courtesy The PUNCH:

Panic gripped residents and traders of the popular Ojoo market in the Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State as the government demolished scores of shops and kiosks in the area, on Thursday.

The PUNCH gathered that the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development had served the traders quit notice a long time ago but they refused to move out of the market.

The Chairman of the market, Muhdeen Ganiyu, fondly called Elewedu, however, told our correspondent that the quit notice was too short but the executive members of all the affected markers would meet after the demolition exercise.

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“The quit notice was too short. All executive members of all the affected markers will soon meet. So, I cannot say anything for now,” he stated.

When contacted, the Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Williams Akin-Funmilayo, confirmed the ongoing demolition exercise.

He said, “The State Governor, Seyi Makinde, had gone there personally to address them. The government will provide another place. That place is dangerous. And the new place is not far. Just at the front of the Barracks.”

More pictures from the demolition courtesy The PUNCH:

Details later…