Ali Ndume, Chief Whip of the Senate, has expressed his support for the death penalty in cases of high-level corruption
Ndume argued on Channels TV Politics Today that those caught in stealing one trillion naira of government funds should face capital punishment, while lesser-severed individuals should not.
Ndume also noted that corruption in Nigeria is people-driven, admitting that politicians steal and share with the people.
Ndume emphasized the pervasive nature of corruption in Nigeria, describing it as “people-driven.”
He pointed out that politicians often engage in corrupt practices and distribute the ill-gotten gains among the populace to secure votes.
According to Ndume, “If you compare us, politicians, to all the corruption, it is very small. Our corruption is people-driven. If you steal it, you will go and share it with the people. If you don’t, you are not coming back for four years. There is no reason for stealing.
“I have been to the National Assembly, I can’t say because we are on TV now and not telling the truth. If the death penalty is supposed to be included in corruption, I will support it but you don’t go and kill someone that stole one million or one billion, no. But someone who steals one trillion of government money should be killed.
“The death penalty is the best deterrent for those being caught for drugs. If you do drugs, you are killing people.
“That means you have destroyed the lives of so many people and killed so many people,” he said.
Notably, Ndume’s statements coincide with the recent passage of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act (Amendment Bill) 2024 by the Senate, which introduced the death penalty for individuals involved in the trafficking of hard drugs and narcotics.
While some have lauded the bill as a decisive step in curbing drug-related crimes, others, including legal experts and civil society organizations, have expressed reservations