Amnesty International has urged the Federal and State Governments to abolish the death penalty.
Mrs Barbara Magaji, the Programmes Supervisor of Amnesty International, made the decision throughout a stakeholders dialogue to commemorate the World Day In opposition to Death Penalty.
The Programme was organised by Amnesty International in collaboration with the French Embassy in Nigeria on Thursday in Abuja.
Magaji burdened the necessity to take away all provisions in nationwide and state legal guidelines that violate worldwide human rights regulation, particularly provisions that permit the death penalty.
She additionally urged the federal government to make sure that the prison justice system was sufficiently resourced and succesful of investigating crimes successfully.
She added that the regulation ought to be capable to assist victims and assure truthful trials with out recourse to the death penalty.
In response to her, the Federal Authorities ought to, by way of the Nationwide Meeting, contemplate the abolition of the death penalty for all crimes within the ongoing Nigerian Constitutional Modification course of.
“It is because there isn’t a convincing proof that the death penalty has a novel deterrent impact on crimes.
“In Nigeria presently, 26 states and the FCT have launched or amended present legal guidelines prescribing the death penalty for kidnapping, banditry, cattle rustling, and cultism.
“In spite of the introduction of the death penalty, the nation continues to file a rise in banditry, abduction and basic criminality,” she mentioned.
Magaji famous that the Amnesty International analysis on the violence and killings in Nigeria confirmed a rise usually insecurity, illegal killings, and kidnap for ransom.
“That is in spite of the introduction of the death penalty to crimes of banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling, and cultism.
“Our documentation of insecurity in 2024 signifies that there have been over 181 incidents leading to extra-judicial killings arising from banditry/terrorism, city crime and herdsmen farmers battle and SGBV.
“This has led to over 3169 deaths. In 2024, 881 folks had been kidnapped. In 2025, there have been 2313 deaths arising from 204 insecurity incidents with some conditions ensuing within the kidnapping of 1025 folks,” she mentioned.
Magaji defined that the rising insecurity in Nigeria was a mix of a number of elements that affected society at totally different ranges, from the nationwide to the neighborhood degree.
She added that the underlying causes of insecurity wanted to be addressed broadly, and a complete crime prevention mechanism was deployed quite than the fast repair strategy that was ineffective.
She mentioned that Amnesty International was against the death penalty in all instances.
“Amnesty International considers that the death penalty violates the suitable to life as enshrined within the Common Declaration of Human Rights and the African Constitution on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
“The death penalty is commonly imposed after a grossly unfair trial. However even when trials respect worldwide requirements of equity, the danger of executing the harmless can by no means be absolutely eradicated.
“The death penalty will inevitably declare harmless victims, as has been persistently demonstrated. The development in direction of abolition of the death penalty is evident.
“In opposing the death penalty, Amnesty International is by no means searching for to condone the crimes for which these sentenced to death had been convicted,” she added.
She famous that Amnesty International acknowledged absolutely the struggling of victims of violent crime and their households and recognised the obligation of governments to guard their rights.
“Amnesty International additionally believed that individuals discovered responsible following a trial that met worldwide truthful trial requirements needs to be held accountable however with out recourse to the death penalty,” she mentioned.
In response to her, presently, 143 nations have now abolished the death penalty in regulation or follow.
