Kano State’s governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, has slammed the death punishment for phone snatchers.
On Sunday, Ganduje issued a proclamation through the Kano State Security Council designating phone snatching as an armed robbery punishable by the death penalty for anyone found committing the crime.
Malam Muhammad Garba, the departing Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, revealed this in a press release sent to Kano-area journalists.
According to him, the council, which Ganduje presided over during its final meeting, underlined that the act’s recent commission has reached alarming levels, necessitating the adoption of extreme measures.
Garba also stated that the council has agreed to put in place a special squad within the security system to deal with the menace and other acts of criminality.
The commissioner added that the council, while deliberating on the swearing-in of the new governor, said that all necessary measures had been taken to ensure a peaceful ceremony and warned miscreants who might use the occasion to cause violence in the name of celebrations to refrain from such act.
“Destruction of properties belonging to the public, individual or the opposition will not be tolerated as adequate measures have been taken to deal with such act decisively,” the statement added.
He said during the meeting, Ganduje reiterated the need for a smooth transition of power in the state and called for a peaceful ceremony. He thanked the security agencies in the state for all the cooperation extended to him throughout his tenure and urged them to maintain the tempo.
The meeting was attended by virtually all the heads of the security agencies and other council members.