After Monarch’s Murder, Nwifuru Moves to Make Kidnapping Punishable by Death in Ebonyi

The Ebonyi State Government has initiated moves to make kidnapping a capital offence punishable by death, following the abduction and killing of a traditional ruler in the state.

Governor Francis Nwifuru disclosed this at the weekend during the funeral of the slain traditional ruler of Ndufu-Alike autonomous community in Ikwo Local Government Area, HRH Eze Francis Igwe.

The governor said his administration had forwarded an executive bill to the Ebonyi State House of Assembly seeking to make kidnapping punishable by death by hanging, without an option of an alternative sentence.

Igwe, who was the father of the immediate past Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Eric Igwe, was abducted on Sunday, March 1, while travelling to church. He was reportedly killed by his abductors the following day.

Speaking at the funeral, organised by the Assemblies of God Church, Nwifuru expressed sadness over the monarch’s murder and warned that such an incident must not happen again in Ikwo or any other part of the state.

He also expressed concern over what he described as the moral deterioration among Nigerian youths, questioning their preparedness to assume leadership responsibilities in the future.

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The governor said some young people were poorly informed and acted irrationally, warning that their attitudes towards community leaders could threaten the future of society.

He said, “I am worried about our present-day youths taking up leadership positions tomorrow. Some of our youths are not well informed, and they act so irrationally.

“I am concerned because, with some of their attitudinal dispositions, there seems to be no future for our youths.

“The youths need to have a rethink concerning certain actions of theirs, especially as concerns their attitudes towards community leaders. They should desist from treating their leaders as holders of their destinies.”

Nwifuru further pledged to implement any court decision against those arrested in connection with the monarch’s murder, insisting that his administration would not tolerate kidnapping and other violent crimes.

“I will not wait to execute the decision of the court over the murderers of this monarch, HRH Eze Francis Igwe.

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“We have sent a bill to the House of Assembly to make kidnapping attract the death sentence by hanging in the state, with no other option. This should serve as a deterrent to those planning a kidnap, whether for political reasons or otherwise,” he said.

The governor described the late monarch as a forthright, outspoken and astute parliamentarian who effectively represented his people in the old Anambra State.

He recalled that Igwe attracted several development projects to his community, including the popular Folk Technical College, which has produced prominent Nigerians.

In their tributes, former Ebonyi governors Sam Egwu and Martin Elechi, alongside former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim, described the deceased as a statesman, peacemaker, renowned educationist, administrator and passionate leader who left enduring legacies.

They urged the bereaved family and the people of Ikwo to draw comfort from his contributions to society.

Also speaking, the monarch’s first son, Eric Igwe, described his father as a devoted family man and role model who guided him on family life, religion, politics and culture.

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He said the circumstances surrounding his father’s death remained difficult for the family to comprehend but expressed confidence that his father’s legacies would endure for generations.

Eric Igwe thanked sympathisers and well-wishers who attended the funeral, disclosing that his father’s last wish was for Governor Nwifuru to secure a second term in office.

Earlier, in a sermon titled “Prepare for Eternity,” the General Superintendent of Assemblies of God, Nigeria, Rev. Dr. Abel Amadi, represented by the church’s General Treasurer, Rev. Dr. Gabriel Michael, urged Christians to remain prepared for eternity, stressing that nobody knew the hour of their death.

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