In a collective stance against capital punishment, France, Australia, and the international non-governmental organisation Avocats Sans Frontieres (ASF) France renewed their resolute opposition to the death penalty, not only in Nigeria but across the globe. This reaffirmation was voiced during an event marking World Day Against the Death Penalty 2023 in Abuja.
Emmanuelle Blatmann, the Ambassador of France to Nigeria, underscored the ongoing international efforts to advocate for the universal abolition of the death penalty, which has persisted as a global concern. She lamented that, despite these collective efforts, 53 countries worldwide, including Nigeria, continue to sanction the death penalty. Blatmann emphasised the need for sustained awareness and diversified actions to ultimately eradicate this practice.
“Amnesty International reported 2,016 death sentences in 52 countries in 2022. Furthermore, in the same year, at least 883 executions took place in 20 countries, marking a regrettable increase of 53% compared to 2021,” she stated.
Ms. Leann Johnston, Charge d’Affaires of the Australian High Commissioner to Nigeria, echoed Ambassador Blatmann’s sentiments. She reiterated Australia’s unwavering opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances and its support for the universal abolition of capital punishment. Johnston highlighted the approximately 3,300 death row inmates in Nigeria who live with the constant spectre of this sentence, affecting not only them but their families as well. Although Nigeria’s last execution took place in 2016, Johnston encouraged the Nigerian government to take the next step by implementing an official moratorium on executions.
“I am pleased to see that Ghana abolished the death penalty in 2023, the Central African Republic in 2022, and Sierra Leone in 2021. I call on Nigeria to implement an official moratorium on executions and to move towards the formal abolition of the death penalty,” Johnston urged.
Angela Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, the Country Director of ASF France (Lawyers Without Borders), emphasised the inherent flaws of the death penalty. Uzoma-Iwuchukwu argued that it fails to deter crime, lacks the potential for rehabilitation, and becomes irreversible when miscarriages of justice occur. She pointed out the recent case of a Nigerian police officer, Darambi Vandi, who was sentenced to death by hanging for the 2022 killing of Lagos-based lawyer Mrs. Bolanle Raheem.
This event, organised by ASF France in collaboration with the French Embassy and the Australian High Commission, aims to intensify the campaign against the death penalty in Nigeria.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, described the death penalty as “one of the most critical human rights issues of our time.” While Nigeria still retains the death penalty as a legal form of punishment for certain severe crimes, Fagbemi acknowledged that executions have been comparatively low in recent history, with fluctuating frequency, shaping how the death penalty is applied in practice.
The 2023 World Day Against the Death Penalty, with the theme “Death Penalty: An Irreversible Torture,” included various activities such as panel discussions and movie screenings, underscoring the urgency of this issue on the global stage.
