The senior lawmaker stated that death penalty should not be meted out to an individual who stole in millions or billions.
Senator Ali Ndume, the Senate’s Chief Whip, stated he would only endorse the death penalty for politicians guilty of embezzling trillions, not millions or billions.
Ndume, in a display of nuanced understanding, underscored that corruption in Nigerian politics is primarily driven by individuals, a factor that may not necessitate harsh punishments.
He further acknowledged the unfortunate reality that politicians are not exempt from engaging in corruption and sometimes misallocate resources meant for the public.
While speaking Channels TV flagship program, ‘Politics Today’ Ndume said, “If you compare us, politicians, to all the corruption, it is very small. Our corruption is people-driven.
“If you steal it, you will go and share it with the people. If you don’t, you are not coming back for four years. There is no reason for stealing.
“I have been to the National Assembly, I can’t say because we are on TV now and not telling the truth.”
The senior lawmaker, however stated that death penalty should not be meted out to an individual who stole in millions or billions.
He said, “If the death penalty is supposed to be included in corruption, I will support it but you don’t go and kill someone that stole one million or one billion, no. But someone who steals one trillion of government money should be killed.”
