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Lawmakers in the House of Representatives have passed for second reading a bill to provide parole for murderers serving life sentences.
The bill, which seeks to repeal section 40 of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act 2019, and establish a parole regime, was passed in a hastened process during plenary on Tuesday, February 23, 2021.
When the sponsor of the bill, Hassan Nalaraba, moved a motion for second reading, House Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, swiftly put it to a voice vote without subjecting it to debate, calling it a ‘straight-forward’ bill.
Even though the bill was passed unanimously by lawmakers, Linda Ikpeazu expressed objection that it singled out only murderers as beneficiaries of the parole, but she backed the bill.
Gbajabiamila said her observation will be taken into account at the committee level, and referred the bill to the House Committee on Interior.
The bill was first read in the House on March 2020.
