Curbing the Menace of Kidnapping in Edo State: The Edo State Kidnapping Prohibition (Amendment) Law 2013 to the Rescue

Security is perhaps the most important aspect of governance, it takes priority over all else. This is so much so as insecurity affects and has the ability to put on hold every other aspect of governance. The security of the governed ought therefore to be the paramount preoccupation of any government at every point in time. Kidnapping has become a hydra headed monster ravaging Nigeria as a whole, and Edo State in particular. Despite the various mechanisms put in place, it has continuously reared its ugly head against the efforts of successive governments. This paper threw some light on the persisting menace of kidnapping in Edo State, Nigeria vis-à-vis the definition of the offence of kidnapping, the typology of the crime of kidnapping, some reported kidnapping instances in the State; the stringency of the newly amended provisions of the Kidnapping Prohibition (Amendment) Law of Edo State in the light of the old ones. The paper also drew a logical conclusion and made valuable recommendations towards curbing the menace of kidnapping in the State. <br>