Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State on Monday signed two bills into law in the presence of stakeholders who thronged the seat of government.
The two bills are; ‘Open grazing prohibition and ranches establishment law, 2017 and ‘Adoption, hostage taking, kidnapping, secret cult and other related offense, 2017.
The Adoption, hostage taking, kidnapping, secret cult and other related offenses law stipulates stiffer punishment for offenders and gives more power to law enforcements agents.
According to the highlights of the kidnapping and hostage taking law stipulates that anyone whose house is used for unlawful detention and kidnapping if found guilty is liable to the death sentence.
Anyone found guilty of hostage taking on conviction will earn ten years jail term while anyone tried for an act of terrorism and found guilty will be liable to 14 years.
Anyone whose premises are used for taken hostage, such property will be forfeited to the government, also any threat to person on kidnapping is liable to seven years.
Detonation of explosive instrument will attract five years while anyone found to be a member of a secret cult is liable to 10 years without an option of fine.
The new law also stipulates that any public office holders who sponsor kidnapping and found liable will be removed from office and risk three years in jail, it also added that anyone in possession of illegal firearms in state will and upon conviction be jailed for three years while whoever aids cultism is also liable to three years jail term.
The new anti-grazing law stipulates that anyone who engages in open grazing in Benue State and on conviction will now be liable for five years imprisonment.
It also provides that anyone who engages in cattle rustling shall be liable on conviction for imprisonment of a term not less than three years or payment of one hundred thousand per animal or both.
In the case of open grazing or rearing of live stocks, the law provides that anyone who contravenes the law shall be guilty of an offense and such person on conviction is liable to five-year imprisonment and a fine of one million naira or both.
The law also stipulates that no individual or group shall after the commencement of this law, engage in open nomadic livestock, herding or grazing in the state outside the permitted ranches.
The new law provides for monetary compensation in case of any damage to a property and imprisonment of two years of the livestock owner or manager in case of injury to any person in the state.
“Where such contravention causes the death of any person within the state, the owner or manager of such livestock shall be guilty of an offense of culpable homicide punishable under the penal code law”.
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