Recent revelation by the Federal Government that 458...

Recent revelation by the Federal Government that 458 condemned men have been in various prisons in some parts of the country, awaiting the hangman for the past 20 years and above, is a sad commentary on our judicial process. It is equally a vindication of critics of the nation's prisons system who have often lamented the over-crowded and inhuman conditions in which inmates are held. For convicts to stay 20 years after trial and conviction, awaiting their death is in itself, a punishment of no mean magnitude. Awaiting death ultimately for such a long period is not only psychologically dehumanising but equally speaks volumes of our justice system. Of course, there is the larger issue of the propriety of death sentence as a necessary and sufficient deterrent to prospective criminals. Indeed, there have been weighty points canvassed on both sides. But the case of the 458 convicts who have been awaiting execution for 20 years is that of the inability or refusal of the state to execute the punishment attendant to their conviction. Which raises questions on the continued retention of death penalty in our statute books as there is a seeming reluctance by our leaders to endorse such executions. Having spent 20 years waiting for the hangman for days without end, it is doubtful if any useful purpose will be served by still executing these convicts. Or is it not possible for these sentences to be commuted especially given that prison terms are supposed to be largely reformatory? Now that the Government is sufficiently concerned about the tardiness in the execution of death sentences, perhaps it is also time to take a second look at the propriety of death sentences as a deterrent to criminality. The step taken by the Federal Government in the case of the 458 condemned men is commendable, but as exigent as it is, the Government should also seize the momentum to take a second look at the larger issues of death penalty and justice dispensation in the country.