The Enugu State Government says it will pull down property, whether private residence or business premises, used for kidnapping for ransom in any part of the state.
The Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, disclosed the government’s threat in a statement issued on Tuesday in Enugu by the Senior Special Assistant to Gov. Peter Mbah on External Relations, Mr Uche Anichukwu.
Onyia stated that the step was in continuation of the determined efforts by Mbah’s administration to rid the state of all forms of crimes and criminalities.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Enugu State House of Assembly had in Nov. 2016, amended the Criminal Code Law of Enugu State, which was subsequently signed into Law by former Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, on Jan. 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.”
The SSG was quoted to have said that Enugu citizens had wondered why the government was yet to enforce the law, eight years after.
“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,” Onyia reportedly said.
“He said that after due diligence, the government had compiled the list of property used for kidnapping purposes in the state,” the statement added
According to him, the property will go down sooner than later, to serve as deterrent to 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,” he reportedly said.