International Coalition Stands Firm Against Death Penalty in Nigeria on World Day Against Capital Punishment

By Admin

On the occasion of World Day Against Death Penalty 2023, a coalition of nations, including France, Australia, and Avocats Sans Frontieres France, has reiterated their strong opposition to the death penalty in Nigeria and beyond.

In a united front, diplomats and human rights advocates gathered in Abuja to condemn capital punishment. Ambassador of France to Nigeria, Emmanuelle Blatmann, underlined France’s steadfast commitment to the cause since the inception of this day in 2002.

She stressed that France consistently seizes international opportunities to advocate for the universal abolition of the death penalty.

Blatmann drew attention to the disheartening fact that 53 countries, including Nigeria, continue to authorize the use of the death penalty.

In the year 2022, Amnesty International reported a staggering 2,016 death sentences in 52 countries, with at least 883 executions in 20 nations. This marked a disturbing 53 percent increase compared to the previous year.

Leann Johnston, the Charge D’ Affaires of the Australian High Commissioner to Nigeria, echoed Blatmann’s stance. Australia maintains an unwavering stance against the death penalty for all individuals in all circumstances and supports its universal abolition.

Johnston emphasized the human toll of this practice, with approximately 3,300 death row inmates in Nigeria living under the constant threat of execution, affecting not only their lives but also their families.

While Nigeria’s last execution took place in 2016, Johnston urged the Nigerian government to go a step further by implementing an official moratorium on executions and progressing toward the formal abolition of the death penalty.

ASF France country director Angela Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, also known as Lawyers Without Borders, France, reiterated that the death penalty fails as a deterrent to crime, offers no opportunity for rehabilitation, and becomes irreversible when miscarriages of justice occur.

Uzoma-Iwuchukwu highlighted a recent case where a Nigerian police officer, Drambi Vandi, received a death sentence by hanging for the 2022 killing of Lagos-based lawyer Bolanle Raheem on Christmas Day.

AGF Lateef Fagbemi described the death penalty as “one of the most critical human rights issues of our time.” Represented by Felix Ota-Okojie, the secretary of the Federal Justice Reform Coordinating Committee at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Fagbemi emphasized that the death penalty continues to ignite global debates and stir emotions, especially within Nigeria.