ABUJA, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria's police chief Ibrahim Idris on Wednesday said the menace of kidnappings in the West African country can only be abated when abductors are handed tougher punishments.
Idris spoke at a meeting in Abuja, saying it was sad that kidnappers in Nigeria even enjoyed more freedom than law-abiding citizens.
"We have not seen where kidnap suspects were convicted and jailed for committing the offense," he said at the meeting with heads of police in states across the African most populous nation.
Seeking stringent punishments for the kidnappers would make them desist from their evil ways, he said.
Kidnapping has been rampant in Nigeria, to a degree that hardly a day passes without news of abduction in parts of the country.
Hundreds of people in towns and villages have been kidnapped so far this year, including high profile kidnapping cases, according to local media.
