Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Bill 2021: Criminalising the Payment of Kidnap Ransom

The Nigerian Senate is considering the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Bill 2021 (the “Bill”) which seeks to amend the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2011 (the “Terrorism Act”) to criminalise the payment of ransom to secure the release of a kidnapped person. The Bill, inter alia, seeks to replace Section 14 of the Terrorism Act with the following provision:

“Anyone who transfers funds, makes payment or colludes with an abductor, kidnapper or terrorist to receive any ransom for the release of any person who has been wrongfully confined, imprisoned or kidnapped is guilty of a felony and is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than 15 years.”

This article provides background context for the introduction of the Bill, provides a comparative analysis of how other jurisdictions deal with the criminalisation of ransom payments, and finally provides commentary on possible effects of the Bill, should it be passed into law in its current
form.