Senate Passes Conferment Bill To Tackle Kidnapping In Nigeria

The Senate on Monday passed the Conferment bill which seeks to
prescribe punishment for the offenses of abduction, wrongful
restraint and wrongful conferment for ransom.

This bill which seeks to combat and prevent any form of
kidnapping in Nigeria passed its third reading on the floor of the
Senate after a report by the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights
and Legal Matters Chaired by Senator David Umaru.

The bill which was sponsored by Senator Isa Misau representing
Bauchi Central went for first reading on the 17th of May, 2016,
second reading on the 5th of October, 2016 and was referred to the
Senator Umaru-led Committee.

With the passage of the Conferment Bill, whoever, with intent to
hold any person for ransom, abducts or wrongfully restraints or
wrongfully confines such a person shall be guilty of an offense and
shall be punished on conviction with imprisonment without an option
of fine.

According to the Senate, whoever is guilty of the offense which
resulted in serious injury to the abducted victim shall be punished
on conviction with life imprisonment without an option of fine.

Also whoever is guilty of the offense which resulted in the
death of the victim, shall be punished and on conviction be
sentenced to death.

Similarly, whoever conspires to commit the offense is guilty of
an offense and shall be punished on conviction with life
imprisonment.

Below are the general provisions of the bill.

#BillTracker^[1]

Today on #BillTracker^[2], we track the Abduction,
Wrongful Restraint and Conferment Bill, 2016 (SB. 118).

— The Nigerian Senate (@NGRSenate) April
29, 2019^[3]

#BillTracker^[4]

Today on #BillTracker^[5], we track the Abduction,
Wrongful Restraint and Conferment Bill, 2016 (SB. 118).

— The Nigerian Senate (@NGRSenate) April
29, 2019^[6]

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ICT: FG Engages Academia, Stakeholders for Innovation

In its quest to foster rapid revolution, innovation, industrial
growth, and sustainable development in the Nigerian ICT sector, the
Federal Government says it is facilitating greater linkages between
the Academia, stakeholders in the ICT sector and the international
telecommunication union (ITU) for cordial collaboration to attain
the nation’s (ICT) set goals and objectives.

Minister of communications, Dr. Adebayo Shittu, who was
represented by Technical Assistant to the Permanent Secretary, Dr.
Patricks Oghuma disclosed this while addressing participants at the
international conference on Information Technology in Education and
Development (ITED-2019) with the theme “Advancing the Capacities of
Information Technology professionals for Rapid National
Development”, held at Baze University, Abuja.

He said, “We count on the continued engagements of the private
sector and interest groups of ICT professionals to support the
economic policies of this administration. Our destiny with regards
to national development are in our own hands as ICT
professionals”.

Dr. Shittu maintains that the Ministry of Communications will
ensure Nigeria continues its good work within the ITU and also
ensure her interests in relation to the national ICT policy is
protected and enhanced which explains why it has identified the
need to collaborate with academia in the area of research and
national development.

He charged the Academia to undertake focused research, targeted
at solving specific problems, leveraging on its huge students
/talents capacity, adding that they should let the outcome of their
research findings are relevant and useful for the market and
national development in the long run.

The Minister Regretted that these days, universities are being
evaluated based on the number of papers they write and publish
rather than on practical knowledge and result oriented techniques
that companies need.

He described the “mathematics-based science” as a mismatch,
stating that the trend must be changed in tandem with the creative
economic paradigm of the 21st century.

He assures that his Ministry would not rest on its oars to
rejuvenate its mandate by ensuring ICT professionals are always
consulted and engaged, as well as liaise with research think tanks,
relevant scholarly communities for national development.

Highlighting the significance of the conference, the President,
Academic Information Technology Professionals (AITP), Prof. A..A
Obiniyi said the aim of AITP is to enhance quality education and
ensure high impact research in computer science, information
technology and related disciplines, with interest in use of
information technology to enhance national development

He pointed out that the time has come for Nigeria to set a pace
for the establishment of professionalism in the IT, teaching and
related discipline and must therefore brainstorm on how to put
Nigeria on the global map by looking into what we have to get what
we need.

According to him, “we need to explore a new, innovative and
emerging form of research emanating from our laboratories which can
bring to bearing local contents”.