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The Nigerian senate has passed a bill seeking to impose jail terms of at least 15 years on anyone paying a ransom to free someone who has been kidnapped. For more than a decade, Nigeria has been struggling to deal with a deadly wave of kidnappings by armed groups. The bill needs to be debated and passed by the lower house before the president signs it into law - a process that could take weeks or months. Critics say the move is unfair as it criminalises people who are desperate to free their relatives. Senator Emmanuel Bwacha of Taraba State in north-eastern Nigeria supports the bill. He told Focus on Africa's Esau Williams, that it will help the government in its fight against the kidnappers. Photo: Shoes of schoolchildren seized by kidnappers in Nigeria's Kaduna state in July 2021, lie on the ground outside of their school. Credit: AFP.