Amended NDLEA Act: Senate approves life imprisonment for drug traffickers, rejects death penalty

The Senate on Thursday agreed with the House of Representatives’ recommendation to replace the death penalty with life imprisonment for individuals convicted of storing, transporting, or concealing illicit drugs and other controlled substances.

This decision follows an amendment to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act, which was considered during a plenary session presided over by Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau. The majority of senators supported the amendment.

The amendment was part of a harmonization effort between the two chambers of the National Assembly regarding Section 11 of the NDLEA Act.

Earlier, the House of Representatives passed an amendment proposing life imprisonment for drug traffickers, while the Senate had initially proposed the death penalty for such offenders. To resolve this discrepancy, a conference committee was formed to finalize the amendment.

During the plenary, Senator Tahir Monguno, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters, and head of the conference committee, explained the rationale for adopting the House’s version of the amendment. He pointed out that if the Senate maintained the death penalty, over 900 individuals currently incarcerated for drug-related offenses could face execution.

Monguno urged his colleagues to support the amendment to mitigate the impact of drug trafficking and consumption in Nigeria. Following his presentation, the Deputy Senate President put the proposal to a vote, with the majority of senators endorsing the change through a voice vote.

Senator Barau then approved the amended law, which now reads: “Any person unlawfully involved in the storage, custody, movement, carriage, or concealment of dangerous drugs or controlled substances, and who, while involved, is armed with any offensive weapon or disguised in any way, shall be guilty of an offense under this Act and, upon conviction, liable to life imprisonment.”