Nigeria’s Senate passes bill to bar kidnap ransom payments

By CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press

ANAMBRA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian lawmakers have passed legislation to bar the payment of kidnap ransoms at a time when the West African nation is struggling to stem the rise of armed violence and kidnaps for ransom in its troubled northwest and central regions. The country’s Senate passed the legislation saying it will “prevent terrorist groups from laundering money.” However, if the bill is signed into law by the president, Amnesty International and activists warn that the move could cause more harm to kidnap victims and their families as it may create “more opportunities for further violations of people’s rights.”