The Senate has passed a bill to amend the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to prescribe imprisonment of writers of false petitions for two years without an option of fine.
The red chamber passed the bill following a report presented by chairman of the senate committee on anti-corruption, Abdul Kwari on Tuesday.
Prior to the amendment, the law prescribed a wine of N100,00 as punishment for writers of false petitions.
Kwari in his report presentation said there was a need to make the punishment for writing false petitions strict to dissuade people from misleading the anti-graft agency.
Adamu Aliero, senator representing Kebbi central while reacting to the bill proposed that the punishment should be five years imprisonment without an option of a fine.
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According to Aliero, many people have suffered as a result of false petitions against them.
He said, “Many people are suffering as a result of that. Even we senators are still suffering from that. The section should be substituted with five years imprisonment without option of fine.”
The clauses of the bill were approved in the “committee of the whole” after the senators voted on them.
Commenting on the bill, Senate President Ahmad Lawan said with the provision, those who want to commit such an offence would have a rethink.
Lawan said the provision would enhance the operations of the ICPC.
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