By Danielle L. Gwozdz
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa
ABUJA, Nigeria – Four prisoners have been hanged in Southern Nigeria; the first known execution in the past seven years. The justice commissioner of the state of Edo told reports that the prisoners have been convicted of armed robbery or murder. Local media says that President Goodluck Jonathan recently asked state governors to sign death warrants in an effort to reduce crime.
Today, more than 1,000 prisoners in Nigeria are believed to be on death row.
“If confirmed, these executions mark a sudden, brutal return to the use of the death penalty in Nigeria, a truly dark day for human rights in the country,” stated Nigeria’s deputy director of Africa, Lucy Freeman.
Although these executions are the first known since 2006, Nigerian security forces have been repeatedly accused of extra-judicial killings during that time period. The human rights organization urged Nigerian authorities to stop all executions immediately and “return to a moratorium on executions in the country.” Further, this organization stated that “[w]e oppose the death penalty in all cases without exception, as it is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.”
This execution was initially delayed because of technical issues with the gallows; however, on Monday the executions went ahead.
There also is a fifth man that is intended to be executed. However, he will not be hanged because his sentence dates back to before 1999 in the military era and his sentence called for him to be killed by a firing squad, which prison authorities were not prepared to do on Monday.
The state’s justice minister told Reuters that the four men “have been on death row for a long time and they were executed yesterday.” However, he did not state why authorities decided to use the death penalty after a seven year gap.
The four men had made appeals, exhausted their administrative remedies, but their death warrants were signed.
The state’s justice minister states that “[i]f the international community deems it wrong they should approach the national assembly for review of the law.”
For further information, please see:
FBC News — Nigeria executes prisoners for first time since 2006 — 25 June 2013
Africa Eagle — Nigeria Executes Prisoners In Southern State For The First Time Since 2006 — 25 June 2013
Reuters — Nigeria hangs four prisoners in first executions since 2006 — 25 June 2013
BBC News — Nigeria executes prisoners for first time since 2006 — 24 June 2013
Fox News — Nigeria hangs 4 prisoners in first executions since 2006 — 24 June 2013
