A member of the House of Representatives, Bamidele Salam (PDP-Osun), has criticised the Terrorism Prevention Act 2013 (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which seeks to prohibit the payment of ransom for kidnapped victims.

“With due respect to that institution, I think it is a misplacement of attention because if a citizen has the misfortune of having his son or daughter or wife or anyone kidnapped, he will do all that is within his capacity to get them freed,” Mr Salam argued at a press conference on Wednesday.

He added, “If the government appears helpless, if the government appears nonchalant, if the government appears inefficient, you cannot place the burden or the responsibility of ensuring that the right thing is done on the citizens.”

He described the bill, which has passed the third reading in the senate as “needless”.

“No one whose child is in captivity and has the capacity to secure the freedom who will not do so, especially when you know that the government does appear not to have the capacity to do so,’’ he said.

Mr Salam called on President Muhammadu Buhari to double efforts and secure the release of all kidnapped victims.

The lawmaker said that the House had done all it could, including moving over 60 motions on insecurity in various parts of the country in the past three years and amending relevant bills.

While saluting the courage and sacrifices of officers and men of security agencies, Mr Salam said that saboteurs must be identified, exposed and made to face the consequences.

“If we devote half of the kind of energy and resources we are putting into politics on fixing Nigeria, we will have it fixed.

“We just have a set of selfish politicians, and that is the truth. If we devout half of the energy, this problem will not last this long,’’ he said.

(NAN)