BEFORE WE EXECUTE REV. KING, GOV. AMBODE HAS TO SIGN - NIGERIAN PRISON FORCE

NPF Awaits Lagos State Governor
Ambode’s Signature To Hang Rev King, Nigeria Prison
Service Needs More Executioners, Hang Men For 1639
Convicts On Death Row
The Nigeria Prisons Service yesterday confirmed that 1, 639
inmates are awaiting execution in various prisons dotted
across the country. According to the Public Relations Officer
of Prisons, Mr. Francis Emorde, the last time the Service
carried out execution was 2013.
He also explained that the reason behind the delay in
execution was as a result of the state governors’
unwillingness to sign execution papers for the sheriff to
carry out the order. He also confirmed that despite Friday’s
Supreme Court ruling upholding the death sentence passed
on Rev. Emeka Ezeugo, aka Rev. King, the governor of
Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, would still have to sign
the necessary document for the execution to be carried out.
However, according to figures from the National Bureau of
Statistics (NBS), Rev King has just joined the growing
number of people waiting for their executions to be carried
out on death row. NBS figures shows the 16 people were on
death row 2007, 92 in 2008, 31 in 2009, 56 in 2010, and 72
in 2011, with the latest statement from the Prisons Service
confirming that the figure has swelled to 1, 639.
Thus, with such a large number of people on death row and
very few hangmen in the country, there are indications that
Rev, King may stay much longer on Mother Earth, while
waiting for his turn to face the executioner. Besides, the
failure of many governors to sign death sentence is another
possible reason for the delay.
The Criminal Procedure Act of each state provides that
governors should affirm death sentences of condemned
criminals before execution. Only four death row inmates
were executed in 2013. And since then, no state governor
has confirmed any death sentence. However, shortly after
President Goodluck Jonathan urged state governors to sign
death warrants for death row prisoners on June 16, 2013,
four prisoners were executed, including Thankgod Ebhos, a
father of three.
All four individuals reportedly still had appeals pending when
executed, which is a violation of both Nigerian and
international law. In 2013, the capital execution rate is
41,650,000 persons. In spite of human rights activists’
efforts to abolish the death penalty globally, it appears to be
gaining more popularity in many countries. A report from
Amnesty International shows that 1,925 death sentences
were issued in 2013 and the figure rose to 2,466 in 2014.
The dramatic rise is due to the number of the death
sentence issued by countries seeking to tackle crime,
terrorism, and internal stability. In Nigeria, 659 death
sentences were recorded in 2014, a jump of more than 500
compared with the 2013 figures – 141.
The surge in 2014 can be attributed to the mass death
sentences passed on soldiers, who were convicted of
mutiny in the context of the armed conflict with Boko Haram
terrorists in the North, by military courts. Incidentally,
Nigeria leads the chart with 659 death sentences, Egypt
follows closely with 509 and Pakistan rounded off the top
three lists with 231 inmates to be executed in 2014.
However, it appears that capital punishment has failed as a
preventive measure against crime in Nigeria A statistical
appraisal of crime rate in Nigeria by the Department of
Statistics, Abia State Polytechnic, shows there has been a
significant growth over the years and if not checked, it will
keep rising
[Sunday Telegraph]