In a recent video published to his social platforms, Nigerian actor Williams Uchemba made headlines by calling for public executions of convicted kidnappers.
He argued that the law already allows for the death penalty in kidnapping cases — yet claims the punishments are seldom carried out.
Uchemba used a striking analogy:
“When a child begins to steal meat from the mother’s pot … what the mother is doing is she is breeding a hardened criminal.”
He went further:
“We want to be like China but we do not have the balls that China has. The punishment for kidnapping and corruption in China is death.”
By proposing a “dedicated channel” to broadcast such executions — “just like BBNaija” he said — Uchemba aimed to underscore how little visibility there is around enforcement of Nigeria’s laws.
Kidnapping remains a major security challenge in Nigeria; public frustration with impunity is running high.
Uchemba positioning himself publicly on this issue signals how popular figures are now speaking into security-policy debates.
His proposal, however, raises serious questions of human rights, constitutional law and whether spectacle punishments are a viable deterrent or a dangerous precedent.
It also puts spotlight on whether Nigerian criminal justice institutions are equipped, transparent and fair in handling capital-punishment cases.