The Enugu government says it will pull down property, whether private residences or business premises, used for kidnapping for ransom, revealing that a list of buildings has been compiled.

The secretary to the state government, Chidiebere Onyia, disclosed the government’s threat in a statement on Tuesday.

Mr Onyia stated that the step was a continuation of the determined efforts by Governor Peter Mbah’s administration to curb crimes.

The Enugu House of Assembly had, in November 2016, amended the Criminal Code Law of Enugu State, which was subsequently signed into law by former Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on January 20, 2017.

Section 315 of the Criminal Code (Second Amendment) Law Cap. 30, Laws of Enugu State, currently provides that “if the building or structure owned by the offender or any other person, who knows or ought to reasonably know that the building or structure is so being used for that purpose, the building or structure shall be demolished or forfeited to the state government.”

Mr Onyia said that the Enugu citizens had wondered why the government had yet to enforce the law eight years later.

“Responding to the citizen’s agitations over what they perceived as a lukewarm attitude to the law, the current administration is taking time to carry out due diligence to ensure that nobody suffers undue losses or miscarriage of justice.

“The government warned property owners to take necessary steps to know their prospective tenants before leasing their property to them,” Mr Onyia said.

He said after due diligence, “the government had compiled the list of property used for kidnapping purposes in the state.”

According to him, the property will go down sooner than later to deter others.

“There is no hiding place for criminal elements in Enugu state. They either repent, leave town or meet their Waterloo. The choice is theirs,” stated Mr Onyia.

(NAN)