A bill to impose a stiffer penalty of death sentence, to replace life imprisonment, against persons convicted of drug trafficking has passed the third reading at the Nigerian Senate.

The Senate made the resolution after it considered the report of the Committees on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters and Drugs and Narcotics, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

The chairman of the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Mohammed Monguno (APC-Borno North), presented the report during plenary on Thursday to amend the act.

“Any person who, without lawful authority, imports, manufactures, produces, processes, plants or grows the drugs popularly known as cocaine, LSD, heroin or any other similar drugs shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to be sentenced to imprisonment for life,” Section 11 of the current NDLEA act stipulates.

The new bill seeks to update the list of dangerous drugs, strengthen the NDLEA’s operations, review penalties, and empower the establishment of laboratories.

The report by the committee did not recommend a death penalty for offenders, but Ali Ndume moved a motion for the life sentence to be upgraded to the death penalty.

Presiding over the session, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin put the amendment to pass the death penalty to a voice vote and ruled that the “ayes” had it, but Senator Adams Oshiomhole objected to the ruling, insisting that the “nays” had it.

According to Mr Oshiomole, matters of life and death should not be treated in a hurry, but Mr Barau objected, saying it was too late, as he failed to call for division immediately after his ruling.

The bill was, therefore, read for the third time and subsequently passed by the lawmakers.