Anti-hate Speech, Jungle Justice Bills: Saraki promises quick passage

In an apparent gear-up to change from what many Nigerians described as representing themselves in the National Assemby, the Senate appear to be doing well at the moment, said a respondent.

This can be deduced from the positive side of Senate President Bukola Saraki to things which have direct impact on the lives of the people.

On Tuesday the Senate President, Saraki, said the Upper Chamber will speed up the passage of the Anti-Hate Speech and the Anti-Jungle Justice Bills as soon as they are presented to it.

Saraki said the Senate was ready to give the two bills accelerated consideration in a bid to stem rising cases of hate speech and jungle justice across the country.

According to him, the passage of the bills will form a major part of the Senate’s social impact agenda when it resumes in September.

“The Hate Speech Bill will help to mitigate 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,” Saraki said in Abuja on Tuesday in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Yusuph Olaniyonu.

He expressed the hope that the Anti-Jungle Justice Bill would help to curtail, protect and prohibit meting out extra-judicial killings and encourage exploring statutory legal channels.

“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.

“Therefore, we must put in place careful stopgaps and penal measures to protect the sanctity of our communities,” Saraki said.

According to him, the Anti-Jungle Justice Bill is sponsored by Sen. Dino Melaye, (APC-Kogi).

Saraki said the Committee on Judiciary and the Rules and Business Committees of the Senate would ensure quick passage of anti-jungle justice bill and would send it to the House of Representatives for concurrence.