Professor Oluyemisi Bamgbose, Chairperson of the National...

Professor Oluyemisi Bamgbose, Chairperson of the National Study Group on Death Penalty, publicly presented the Report of the Study Group. The National Study Group on Death Penalty was inaugurated by the Honourable Minister for Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Akinlolu Olujinmi on 13 November 2003.
The mandate was to prepare an advisory opinion to guide the Federal Government of Nigeria on Death Penalty.
The main issues that dominated discussions in the course of public sittings as well as the memorandum received were overwhelmingly concerns about Crime, Safety and Security and religion.
In general the study group found that the death penalty was widely seen as a solution to the widely perceived failure of the criminal justice system. It found that there was no consensus or a singular opinion among the faith groups in Nigeria on the issue of death penalty.
The Study Group found that countries or territories that to different extents have decided to give up the practice of death penalty total 133. Countries that retain the death penalty number 63.
It noted that there are presently about 500 inmates on death row in Nigerian prisons and expressed concern about the deplorable condition under which these inmates are imprisoned. As policy options the Study Group recommended an official moratorium on executions until the Nigerian Criminal Justice System can ensure fundamental fairness and due process in capital cases and minimize the risk that innocent people will be executed.
These problems have been exacerbated by limited funding of criminal justice agencies, inadequate training of personnel and inadequate legal aid scheme. For that reason the group asked the Federal Government to rethink its current investment in the justice system.
The study group is of the opinion that the National Economic, Empowerment and Development Strategy {NEEDS} provides a platform for the Federal government to think of justice as a sector in the same way as health, education and agriculture.
The study group clarified also the moratorium option within the context of Sharia law.