With more than two-thirds of the countries in the world abolishing
death penalty in law or practice, President Goodluck Jonathan onSunday,
June 16, 2013, at the Aso Rock Villa Chapel where he attended a special
service to mark this year’s Fathers’ Day disclosed that he has been
urging state governors to give the seal of approval to death penalties
handed down on convicts by the courts in their domains to encourage an
atmosphere of discipline in the society.
The President, in his remarks at the occasion noted that discipline
could be in various forms, including admonition from a magistrate’s
court, jail terms and capital punishment and said: “In the case of
capital punishment, the state governors will have to sign. Even
governors sometimes find it difficult to sign. I have been telling the
governors that they must sign because that is the law. The jobs we are
doing have very sweet part and very ugly part and we must perform both.
No matter how painful it is, it is part of their responsibilities”. “So, for us as parents, it is important for us to let our children
constantly know that it is good to take the right path. It is good for
them to know that they must be upright,” Jonathan told those gathered at
the Aso Rock Villa Chapel to celebrate this year’s Fathers’ Day.
President Jonathan, while giving the directive to state governors added that, it is part of the constitutional responsibilities of the state governors and that, it will amount to breach of the constitution for state governors to refuse to sign death warrants, after the pronouncement of death penalty by a court of competent jurisdiction. Armed robbery and murder are some of the offences punishable by death under Nigeria’s extant laws. Nigeria is one of the countries in theworld still harboring the capital punishment in its statute books. A report released by the Office of United Nations (UN) Secretary-General shows that out of 198nations in the world, only 47 retain the death penalty. According to the report, 81 nations, excluding Nigeria have already committed themselves to prohibition of the death penalty throughratification of international or regional instruments.
However, humanrights groups and some non-governmental organizations are worried that Nigeria is still retaining the death penalty in its legal codes. Someof the human rights’ activists want the country to abolish the death penalty, describing it as outdated, as there is no justification why the state should champion the killing of its citizens. Mr. Ivan Paneff, Vice -President, Avocats Sans Frontieres, an international Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), was in the country recently to stimulate discourse on the need to erase the “obnoxious death penalty from Nigeria’s legal system”.
Paneff, who also spoke at a recent conference organised in Abuja by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), in partnership with National Human Rights Commission and Access to Justice, another NGO, explained that death penalty was an “out-dated practice’’. He said the public, through the parliament, has the right to bring this to an end.“We believe other punitive judgments could be passed on criminals. Life imprisonment, for instance, is good enough,’’ he stated.
Former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Dahiru Musdapher also threw his weight to the abolition of the death penalty, when he said that the abolition or retention of the death penalty was a matter for the legislature to decide and not for the court to wade into. “As social reality is constantly changing, the law’s connection to this fluid reality implies that it too is always changing. Hence we must ask ourselves: has societal reality changed, thus necessitating a change in law as it relates to the death penalty? Although the statutory role played by the judiciary on the death penalty issue may appear to be restricted, I will not shy away from the fact that in the 21st century, judges are gradually acknowledging the more robust role they play in shaping the law, policy and the principles upon which judicial reviews rest. The death penalty hasbeen an issue, which has often drawn out raw emotions whenever andwherever discussed. Arguments in favour or against death penalty are both compelling and persuasive,’’ he said.
Mr. Livingstone Sewanyana, a resource person from Uganda, in a paper entitled: “Towards Global Abolition of the Death Penalty: The AfricanExperience,’’ said the public should form a global coalition against the practice. He said, where the death penalty has been challenged, the anti-death penalty activists have played a prominent role; lawyersas officers of court have to take the lead”.
The head of the European Union (EU) desk on Political Governance and Democracy in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Allan Munday, had called on the Federal Government to abolish capital punishment from the country’s law books and to adopt the alternative of life imprisonment to death penalty. The EU official stressed that the campaign would not be stopped until the death penalty is abolished in the country, just as he urged Nigeria’s leaders to emulate the leaders of other nations which have jettisoned the death penalty.
Meanwhile, the immediate past president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Joe Daudu (SAN), in his own submission, argued that it was premature to advocate for the abolition of death penalty from the country’s legal system. Daudu, while speaking at a conference on: “Saving Lives: Strengthening the Role of Lawyers to fight Against the Death Penalty”, said the country needs to solve other problems relating to how criminals are punished. He said the call for the abolition of the death penalty wasill-timed in view of the murderous activities of the Boko Haram Sect, which had led to the untimely death of scores of innocent Nigerians. “How would you feel if your family member is among those so far killed by the Boko Haram sect? In our law, there are offences that prescribe death penalty and I believe what the European Union should do is to re-orientate Nigerians against crime”, he said.
In the word of the former NBA boss, “The life of any victim of murder is important and the sanctity of the society, and therefore, we need to understand why countries like America have not abolished the death penalty. The penalty serves as a deterrent, and nobody would tell me the death penalty does not deter people who would otherwise have killed other people.” He said that it was not a bad argument for death penalty to be abolished, but held that the criminal justice system must first be made effective.
Analysts however say that for the campaign to sail through, the proponents have to recognise the huge odds that confront them in running against a thick current of pro-death public opinion, especially in view of the current social and political challenges. Although the global trend towards abolition remain strong, 2012 saw a resumption of executions in a number of countries, notably Gambia, India, Japan and Pakistan. India carried out its first execution since 2004, with the hanging of Mumbai’s lone surviving gunman, Ajmal Kasab.
However, overall, use of the death penalty was restricted to an isolated group of countries. The total number of confirmed executions, 682, was virtually unchanged from 2011. This figure excludes the thousands of executions that were carried out in China, where accurate information on the death penalty is still impossible to obtain. Twenty-one countries carried out executions in 2011, compared to 28 adecade ago. Once again, China, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the USA were the five biggest executioners in the world. 2012 also saw some positive developments. A number of countries which had consistently executed in previous years, such as Viet Nam, did not carry out any death sentences in 2012. In the USA, only nine states carried out executions, compared to 13 states in 2011.
The number of countries where death sentences were imposed fell from 63 to 58. Latvia became the 97th country worldwide to abolish the death penalty for all crimes. A total of 140 countries worldwide have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice. An overwhelming majority of countries did not use the death penalty in 2011. Only 21 out of 198 countries carried out executions, a drop of more than a third over the last decade. Death sentences were pardoned or commuted in 33 countries, compared to just 19 in 2010.
At least 18,750 people remained under sentence of death at the end of the year and at least 680 people were executed worldwide in 2011, excluding China.
http://peoplesdailyng.com/jonathan-beckons-on-hangmen/
President Jonathan, while giving the directive to state governors added that, it is part of the constitutional responsibilities of the state governors and that, it will amount to breach of the constitution for state governors to refuse to sign death warrants, after the pronouncement of death penalty by a court of competent jurisdiction. Armed robbery and murder are some of the offences punishable by death under Nigeria’s extant laws. Nigeria is one of the countries in theworld still harboring the capital punishment in its statute books. A report released by the Office of United Nations (UN) Secretary-General shows that out of 198nations in the world, only 47 retain the death penalty. According to the report, 81 nations, excluding Nigeria have already committed themselves to prohibition of the death penalty throughratification of international or regional instruments.
However, humanrights groups and some non-governmental organizations are worried that Nigeria is still retaining the death penalty in its legal codes. Someof the human rights’ activists want the country to abolish the death penalty, describing it as outdated, as there is no justification why the state should champion the killing of its citizens. Mr. Ivan Paneff, Vice -President, Avocats Sans Frontieres, an international Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), was in the country recently to stimulate discourse on the need to erase the “obnoxious death penalty from Nigeria’s legal system”.
Paneff, who also spoke at a recent conference organised in Abuja by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), in partnership with National Human Rights Commission and Access to Justice, another NGO, explained that death penalty was an “out-dated practice’’. He said the public, through the parliament, has the right to bring this to an end.“We believe other punitive judgments could be passed on criminals. Life imprisonment, for instance, is good enough,’’ he stated.
Former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Dahiru Musdapher also threw his weight to the abolition of the death penalty, when he said that the abolition or retention of the death penalty was a matter for the legislature to decide and not for the court to wade into. “As social reality is constantly changing, the law’s connection to this fluid reality implies that it too is always changing. Hence we must ask ourselves: has societal reality changed, thus necessitating a change in law as it relates to the death penalty? Although the statutory role played by the judiciary on the death penalty issue may appear to be restricted, I will not shy away from the fact that in the 21st century, judges are gradually acknowledging the more robust role they play in shaping the law, policy and the principles upon which judicial reviews rest. The death penalty hasbeen an issue, which has often drawn out raw emotions whenever andwherever discussed. Arguments in favour or against death penalty are both compelling and persuasive,’’ he said.
Mr. Livingstone Sewanyana, a resource person from Uganda, in a paper entitled: “Towards Global Abolition of the Death Penalty: The AfricanExperience,’’ said the public should form a global coalition against the practice. He said, where the death penalty has been challenged, the anti-death penalty activists have played a prominent role; lawyersas officers of court have to take the lead”.
The head of the European Union (EU) desk on Political Governance and Democracy in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Allan Munday, had called on the Federal Government to abolish capital punishment from the country’s law books and to adopt the alternative of life imprisonment to death penalty. The EU official stressed that the campaign would not be stopped until the death penalty is abolished in the country, just as he urged Nigeria’s leaders to emulate the leaders of other nations which have jettisoned the death penalty.
Meanwhile, the immediate past president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Joe Daudu (SAN), in his own submission, argued that it was premature to advocate for the abolition of death penalty from the country’s legal system. Daudu, while speaking at a conference on: “Saving Lives: Strengthening the Role of Lawyers to fight Against the Death Penalty”, said the country needs to solve other problems relating to how criminals are punished. He said the call for the abolition of the death penalty wasill-timed in view of the murderous activities of the Boko Haram Sect, which had led to the untimely death of scores of innocent Nigerians. “How would you feel if your family member is among those so far killed by the Boko Haram sect? In our law, there are offences that prescribe death penalty and I believe what the European Union should do is to re-orientate Nigerians against crime”, he said.
In the word of the former NBA boss, “The life of any victim of murder is important and the sanctity of the society, and therefore, we need to understand why countries like America have not abolished the death penalty. The penalty serves as a deterrent, and nobody would tell me the death penalty does not deter people who would otherwise have killed other people.” He said that it was not a bad argument for death penalty to be abolished, but held that the criminal justice system must first be made effective.
Analysts however say that for the campaign to sail through, the proponents have to recognise the huge odds that confront them in running against a thick current of pro-death public opinion, especially in view of the current social and political challenges. Although the global trend towards abolition remain strong, 2012 saw a resumption of executions in a number of countries, notably Gambia, India, Japan and Pakistan. India carried out its first execution since 2004, with the hanging of Mumbai’s lone surviving gunman, Ajmal Kasab.
However, overall, use of the death penalty was restricted to an isolated group of countries. The total number of confirmed executions, 682, was virtually unchanged from 2011. This figure excludes the thousands of executions that were carried out in China, where accurate information on the death penalty is still impossible to obtain. Twenty-one countries carried out executions in 2011, compared to 28 adecade ago. Once again, China, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the USA were the five biggest executioners in the world. 2012 also saw some positive developments. A number of countries which had consistently executed in previous years, such as Viet Nam, did not carry out any death sentences in 2012. In the USA, only nine states carried out executions, compared to 13 states in 2011.
The number of countries where death sentences were imposed fell from 63 to 58. Latvia became the 97th country worldwide to abolish the death penalty for all crimes. A total of 140 countries worldwide have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice. An overwhelming majority of countries did not use the death penalty in 2011. Only 21 out of 198 countries carried out executions, a drop of more than a third over the last decade. Death sentences were pardoned or commuted in 33 countries, compared to just 19 in 2010.
At least 18,750 people remained under sentence of death at the end of the year and at least 680 people were executed worldwide in 2011, excluding China.
http://peoplesdailyng.com/jonathan-beckons-on-hangmen/
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