The Muslim Media Watch Group of Nigeria (MMGN) has reacted to the bill passed by the Nigerian Senate on Thursday prescribing death penalty on those found guilty of drug-trafficking.
In a press statement by the National Coordinator of the group, Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim, the MMGN commended the Senate for taking the decision, adding that it is one of the best bills ever passed since the inauguration of the 10th Senate.
The Media Group particularly singled out the Senate Chief Whip Senator Ali Ndume from Borno State and his Deputy Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi from Ebonyi State for their roles in passing the bill, and called on the House of Representatives to do same for concurrence, pointing out that insecurity problems facing Nigeria have their roots in drug-addiction and other negative influencies.
The MMGN disagreed with those condemning capital punishment for such crimes in Nigeria, pointing out that not less than 20 Countries across the world have death penalty as punishment for drug-trafficking.
The countries according to the Group include Malaysia, China, Vietnam, Saudi-Arabia, Iran, Thailand, United Arab Emirate, Singapore and Cambodia.
Others are Indonesia, North-Korea, Philippines, Turkey, Costa-Rica, Columbia and others.
The group therefore called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to delay the signing of the bill into law.
On Cyber Security Levy, the MMGN described the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as an insensitive government agency that ought to know that such a levy is “ill-timed and unwarranted.”
It therefore called on the CBN to “withdraw without further delay the circular imposing such levy at this hard times being faced by the Nigerian people.”