The National Assembly is set to introduce a bill that will impose the death penalty on individuals found guilty of vandalizing national assets.
Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and current Senator representing Kebbi State, Senator Adamu Aliero revealed this in a recent interview with journalists.
The proposed bill aims to address the rampant vandalism of critical infrastructure, including power installations, railway tracks, and airport facilities.
According to Senator Aliero, the National Assembly is concerned about the persistent damage to these assets and seeks to deter such criminal behavior through the imposition of 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”.
Meanwhile, a member of the House of Representatives, Honorable Blessing Onuh suggested the installation of anti-theft devices to prevent the vandalism of national assets.
This comes as the Nigeria Police Force recently apprehended suspects caught with truckloads of stolen railway tracks from across the country.
The Minister of Transportation, Alkali S’aid, has also attributed recent train derailments to the tampering of rail lines by vandals, highlighting the urgent need for effective measures to protect the nation’s 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.
“We are deploying so much major surveillance in conjunction with the security agencies to ensure that these properties are not allowed to be vandalized”.
