Rights Commission, Others Oppose Death Sentence In Nigeria

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), successful collaboration with the Hope Behind Bars Africa, supported by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty and the French Development Agency, has called for the abolition of the decease condemnation successful Nigeria.

The enforcement caput of the NHRC, Dr. Tony Ojukwu (SAN) successful his opening remarks astatine a Stakeholders’ Validation Meeting of the Research Findings connected Gender and the Death Penalty successful Nigeria, held successful commemoration of the World Day Against the Death Penalty successful Abuja, yesterday, said decease punishment does not deter crime, adding that it often fails to code the underlying causes of unit and insecurity.

Ojukwu, who said the NHRC had successful 2022 joined the International Bar Association and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association successful endorsing the Memorandum connected the Abolition of the Death Penalty successful Nigeria, besides reiterated that this year’s planetary theme, “The Death Penalty Protects No One”, challenges “us to face the persistent story that executions present justness oregon heighten nationalist safety.”

While calling connected the Nigerian authorities to align its transgression justness policies with planetary quality rights standards, the quality rights main advocator revealed that the probe papers being validated underscores the ineffectiveness of superior punishment arsenic a deterrent measurement and highlights irreversible miscarriages of justness successful systems burdened by organization weaknesses.

“The NHRC remains steadfast successful this effort towards the abolition of the decease punishment successful Nigeria. This presumption is grounded successful the content that justness should beryllium restorative alternatively than retributive, and that the extortion of quality dignity indispensable beryllium cardinal to our ineligible and penal systems.

“In our monthly Human Rights Situation Dashboard presentation, we expressed concerns implicit the resurgence of superior punishment successful projected legislation, including the Edo State Secret Cult Law 2025 and the NAFDAC measure prescribing the decease punishment for the manufacture and organisation of counterfeit and substandard medicines successful Nigeria. While specified measures whitethorn beryllium perceived arsenic politically expedient, they are yet counterproductive. They are not successful tune with the existent conversations connected the decease punishment and hazard diverting attraction from the structural reforms indispensable to execute this pursuit,” helium stated.

In her presentation, the enforcement manager of the Hope Behind Bars, Funke Adeoye, revealed that Nigeria retains the decease punishment nether statutory, customary, and Sharia ineligible systems, which prescribe superior punishment for offences specified arsenic murder, equipped robbery, treason, terrorism, adultery, and same-sex relations successful immoderate jurisdictions.

Adeoye, who said this pluralistic ineligible operation has produced inconsistencies successful the exertion of justice, besides revealed that women, successful particular, stay disproportionately susceptible wrong this strategy owed to gendered biases, constricted entree to justice, and rigid societal expectations.

While revealing that the probe underscores that women’s experiences connected decease enactment successful Nigeria are not isolated transgression incidents but alternatively outcomes of systemic sex discrimination, socio-economic precarity, and entrenched taste oppression, Adeoye stressed that alternatively of delivering justice, the decease punishment perpetuates cycles of trauma and inequality.