Joy Anyim
Two Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP), and Human Rights Law Service (HURILAWS), have called for a review of the use of capital punishment (Death Penalty) in the administration of criminal justice in Nigeria.
Speaking at a media parley in Lagos, organised to commemorate the 19th World Day Against Death Penalty, the CSOs stated that the era of the death penalty is phasing out, hence, the need for Nigeria to move with the time.
The groups revealed that most countries of the world including African countries had already scrapped the use of capital punishment in their justice system.
The Nigerian Xpress reports that yearly, on October 10, the world marks the day against the death penalty, with the theme for this year as “Women and the Death Penalty; an Invisible Reality”.
The CSOs also expressed disappointment over the recent call by the Minster of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, urging State Governor to sign death warrants as a measure to decongest the Correctional Centres in the country.
Recall the Aregbesola had made the call in July while commissioning newly built structures for the Nigerian Correctional Service in Osogbo, Osun State.
The minister had said 3008 inmates were on death row across the country.
Speaking at the event, the program coordinator for LEDAP, Pamela Okoroigwe, held the opinion that pending the abolition of capital punishment in our criminal justice system, official moratorium should be instituted.
She stated that the death penalty, especially in Nigeria, is discriminatory against the poor, and contravenes the right to life and right to freedom from cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment.
Sh said: “ There is no evidence that capital punishment deters crime, as our criminal justice system is still inefficient.”
Similarly, the Program Coordinator for HURILAWS, Collins Okeke, said the death penalty impacts women in many different ways.
He said the way the criminal justice system responds to women in Nigeria, is different, hence, critical mitigating factors needs to be considered during the arrest and trial of women said to have committed offences that carry death sentence as punishment.
Speaking in a joint statement issued to mark the day, the CSOs said: “As the world marks the 19th Anniversary Against Death Penalty; the Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP) and Human Rights Law Service (HURILAWS) call for a review of the use of capital punishment in Nigeria, particularly against women, pending a wholesome reform of our criminal justice system to foster arrival at guilty verdicts devoid of reasonable doubts. October 10 is the day set aside globally to advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.
“The theme for this year’s anniversary is ‘Women and the Death Penalty; an Invisible Reality’. This year’s event focuses on women who have been executed, sentenced to death, or have had their death sentences commuted, exonerated, or pardoned, while still drawing attention to the peculiarities and factors that predispose women to alleged crimes and weigh on their sentencing.
“Gender-based discrimination often coupled with other factors such as age, sexual orientation, disability, religion, and culture expose women to intersecting forms of structural inequalities and such prejudices can weigh heavily on sentencing. This discrimination can also lead to inadequate consideration of critical mitigating factors during arrest and trial, including the specific vulnerabilities of women and likely patterns of abuse and gender-based violence that could have been triggered.
“While working towards the complete abolition of the death penalty worldwide for all crimes and for all genders, it is crucial to caution against the discrimination women in Nigeria face and the impact of such discrimination on women in conflict with the law within our criminal justice system.
“We reckon that in July 2021, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola issued a call on state governors to consider signing warrants of death row inmates in states across Nigeria as a way of decongesting the correctional facilities. LEDAP had in an earlier statement recommended that the country should rather focus on reducing the 74% of awaiting trial inmates in our correctional facilities than executing death row inmates as a decongestion measure.
“LEDAP on behalf of all death row inmates in Nigeria filed a suit at the Federal High sitting in Abuja in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1169/2020 Nnenna Obi & Godwin Pius v Comptroller General of Prisons & 36 Governors seeking a declaration that the imposition of capital punishment infringes the right to dignity of the human person and seeks a restraining order against the Comptroller General of Prisons and the 36 State Governors of Nigeria from executing death row inmates.
“Marking the 19th World Day Against Death Penalty, HURILAWS and LEDAP organized a media parley soliciting support from media practitioners to advocate for the abolition of the death penalty. The meeting enlightened participants on Nigeria’s domestic, regional, and international obligations regarding the right to life and mobilized support against the use of the death penalty in Nigeria.
“Finally, we call on Federal and State Governments to announce an official moratorium on all executions in Nigeria until all inadequacies in our criminal justice system are addressed and to amend our laws that provide for the death sentence and replace same with life imprisonment or a term of years.”
