Sir: According to the Nigerian Correctional Service, there are 3,298 inmates on death row awaiting the hangman’s noose. For a nation battling with congestion in its correctional centres, this is unacceptable.
The Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Mr Abubakar Umar, said: “We have quite a number of them; as of today, we have a total of 3,298 inmates on death row. They constitute about 4.5 per cent of the total number of inmates in our various custodial centres nationwide.”
He explained that “There are often long periods of uncertainty for the convicted while their cases are being appealed at higher levels.
“Some offenders have been executed more than 15 years after their convictions.”
Many state governors have refused to sign warrants of inmates on death row due to cowardice. They fear the consequences of putting to death an innocent individual who might not have been properly tried by the judiciary.
But that should be the headache of the judiciary and not the governor who is only performing his statutory responsibility. The same governor has no qualms with sending assassins to kill his political opponent. Their hypocrisy stinks to the high heavens. Adams Oshiomole, former governor of Edo State, was the only brave one among the lot who signed a death warrant in 2016.
The activities of human rights groups and the clergy also explain why we have so many inmates on death row for several years. They preach that life is sacred and shouldn’t be taken by the state, no matter the sins of the condemned. But they overlook the fact that many of those condemned to death by the judiciary are individuals with a sordid past who have deprived so many of their own lives, causing pain and anguish to many families.
What is the justification for keeping them alive in prison when there is a possibility of them breaking jail to cause havoc in the society? Not killing them would deprive the families of their victims of closure.
Taxpayer funds shouldn’t be spent maintaining inmates on death row for several years when they should have been executed. If we want to remove the death penalty from our laws, then let it be done, instead of selective implementation.
•Peter Ovie Akus,
akuspeter@gmail.com