3,650 inmates on death row in Nigeria  – ASF

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Prison congestion: FG urged to resolve minor cases, decongest prisons

 

A total of 3,650 inmates are on death row in Nigeria, according to Lawyers Without Borders.

The group, which made this known on Thursday in Abuja at an event to mark the World Day Against Death Penalty, expressed concern over the swelling number of inmates awaiting execution in Nigerian custodial centres.

According to the group’s Country Director, Ms. Angela Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, 63 out of the 3,650 inmates awaiting death are women.

Uzoma-Iwuchukwu however commended Nigeria’s voluntary moratorium on death penalty and called for a policy to strengthen the initiative.

“This is very crucial because as long as we do not have any policy paper, then executions could happen at any time, thereby putting those over 3000 persons on death row at risk of execution at any time.

“This is very important. Nigeria has highest number of persons on death row in sub-Saharan Africa and the number keeps increasing because people are being sentenced to death everyday.

“Even though the last execution occured in 2014, however, the risk of execution remains,” the country director of lawyers without border added.

 

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