Congestion Calls for Execution in Edo State

By Amina Kollere

Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole recently signed the warrant for the execution of two prison inmates on death row while their appeal is still pending in court! According to the Edo State attorney general, they are alleged murderers, and in order to handle the issue of congestion in the state prison, they should face execution.

I was utterly mortified to hear this so called justification for taking people’s lives. Is this how insignificant our lives are in the eyes of our ‘leaders’? Politicians and people in high places of power commit crimes on a daily basis, but they don’t get so much as a slap on the wrist; however, a groundnut seller steals N5 and it becomes the crime of the century.

The Amnesty International and The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) intervened and asked Governor Adams Oshiomhole to withdraw the death sentence. It’s good to know that when our leaders don’t have our backs, NGOs do.

I remember the prison swap that took place last year in Egypt between the Palestinian Taliban group and the Israelis. The Israelis swapped almost a thousand prisoners for just one of their own, a young military man. I thought it was commendable that they cared so much for just one of their own. With the situation in Edo, I feel nothing but shame for my nation-state. This goes to show that Nigeria is not a sovereign nation, but a geographical location where natural selection takes place. The weak get trampled on by the powerful, and the powerful get more power at the expense of the weak.

We call ourselves civilized? Killing prisoners because of congestion is as barbaric as it can get. We might as well go back to the Stone Age and start wearing hides and skins. That is more civilized than what we’re becoming.

Lucy Freeman, Amnesty International’s Deputy Programme Director for Africa, says, “The decision to sign a death warrant on these two prisoners shows a deep disrespect for the judicial process as the inmates are part of an ongoing appeal. The execution of a prisoner when their death sentence is still under challenge in the courts is a flagrant violation of human rights.”

It appears that the culture of ‘unfair Justice’ in Nigeria is worse than I imagined it. A couple of inmates accused of murder with their appeal still pending are to be executed. The government in Nigeria doesn’t care much for the third arm of government, the Judiciary, and it’s time the Chief Justice did something about it. Shouldn’t the decision to execute a prisoner involve the federal government? I think it should. Already, people die on a daily basis in the North Eastern part of the country due to terrorist attacks. Apparently, the governor is not satisfied with the death toll and is generously offering more.

The death row problem in Nigeria is not just in Edo state. Amnesty International is reporting that approximately 920 people are on the death row in Nigeria. Is it normal to have so many people on death row? If they were all politicians, I’d have no problem with that number. However, since we all know they are mere civilians, I think the judicial system in Nigeria is seriously flawed, and someone needs to do something about it.

At its 44th Ordinary Session in Abuja, Nigeria, the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights adopted a resolution calling on African states that still retain the death penalty to observe a moratorium on the execution of death sentences with a view to abolishing the death penalty. The resolution also forbids the application of the death penalty in conditions not respectful of the right to a fair trial guaranteed under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and other relevant international norms.

Here’s a thought governor, if you have an issue with congestion, why don’t you look into the less complicated cases? I’m sure there are innocent people locked up. Why don’t you set them free instead of being too eager to take people’s lives? Or here’s another idea, why don’t you have contractors taking care of these prisons?