The continuous use of death penalty as punishment for crimes such as murder, manslaughter, culpable homicide, armed robbery and kidnapping in some states, under the Penal Code, Criminal Code and Robbery and Firearms Act have been condemned by the European Union (EU) and Lawyers without borders, France.
At an event to kick-start the ‘Save Lives’ campaign in Abuja, the head of political governance and democracy delegation of the EU to Nigeria, Mr Alan Munday says the continuous use of the capital punishment by Nigeria in its criminal justice system is cruel and inhuman and should be discarded.
He urged Nigeria to publish a white paper or other official document on the United Nations moratorium which prescribes the suspension of death penalty as a first step towards its implementation.
However, the leader of the nation’s legal body called for caution in dealing with the death penalty. “We must find a way of fine-tuning the criminal justice that it finds a way to appeal to every one involved in the cases such as the plantiff, the victims, the state and the defendant” stated the president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Joseph Daudu.
A Lagos High Court recently passed a death sentence on former Cheif of staff to late Head of state, Sani Abacha, Hamza al-Mustapha for complicity in the murder of Kudi Abiola. Lateef Shofolahan and Reverend King are other convicts awaiting the hang’s man.
