SAN FRANCISCO, August 15, (THEWILL) – The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has disclosed that the passage of bills to guard against hate speeches and jungle justice will constitute a major part of the social impact agenda of the Senate when it resumes in September.
Saraki, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Yusuph Olaniyonu, expressed the readiness of the upper legislative chamber to give the Hate Speech Bill accelerated consideration when it is presented by the Executive.
“At this point in time, when people are heating up the political and social space with their utterances, the Hate Speech Bill will help to mitigate against verbal attacks or expressions against individuals or groups on the basis of ethnicity, religion, and even gender.
“This will help to send a clear message with accompanying punitive measures to those negative elements in our society that are fond of distasteful comments that hurt, offend and provoke retaliation,” he said.
The Senate President also stated that the Anti-Jungle Justice Bill (SB. 109), sponsored by Senator Dino Melaye, (APC-Kogi), will also help to curtail, protect and prohibit Nigerians across the country from meting out extra-judicial justice to perceived offenders without recourse to statutory legal channels.
According to him, “There have been many cases of extrajudicial executions across the nation.
“We all remember the ‘Aluu Four’ incident, and several other notorious cases of phone and food thieves being set ablaze. We cannot have a situation where people feel that they can take the law into their hands.”
Saraki also stated that, “Therefore, we must put in place careful stopgaps and penal measures to protect the sanctity of our communities.”
He continued that the Committee on Judiciary and the Rules and Business Committees of the Senate would work to ensure that Anti-Jungle Justice Bill is quickly passed and sent to the House of Representatives for concurrence.
