Actor Williams Uchemba has called for the public execution of convicted kidnappers in Nigeria.
In a video on Instagram, Uchemba argued that Nigeria needs to enforce its constitution and impose harsher penalties to deter kidnapping and other crimes.
He drew parallels with parenting, saying if a child is not taught consequences for wrongdoing, they will grow into a hardened criminal.
“When a child begins to steal meat from the mother’s pot and the mother upon catching the child does very little in terms of punishment or showing the child this is the consequences of this. The mother is breeding a hardened criminal that will eventually grow up and even destroy her own life or become a national disgrace to the family”.
Uchemba stated that public execution would help curb crime rates and even suggested a dedicated channel to showcase such executions, similar to Big Brother Naija.
The father of two emphasised that kidnapping carries the death penalty in Nigeria, but the process is often shrouded in secrecy, with little information on the fate of convicted individuals.
He added: “We have a constitution that governs this country and I do not see why when it is time to execute it, we are not as vocal as we should be.
“The capital punishment for kidnapping is death. Some of these kidnappers are caught. We don’t hear anything whether they are imprisoned or executed. If you ask me, there should be a channel just like BBNaija that is dedicated to catching some of the people that do these things and are publicly executed because until we start executing consequences to certain actions, we cannot see results”.
He urged Nigerians to be more vocal about enforcing the law and imposing stiffer penalties for crimes like kidnapping.
Uchemba referenced China’s approach to capital punishment for similar crimes.
“We want to be like China, but we do not have the balls that it has. The punishment for kidnapping and corruption in China is death”, he concluded.
This call came amid rising kidnapping cases and fear ahead of the yuletide.
Other public figures like Ruger have also emphasised the need for enhanced security measures to protect citizens, especially those returning home for the holidays.
