there are 784 inmates held in "tiny, dark and filthy" cells on death row in Nigeria,

there are 784 inmates held in "tiny, dark and filthy" cells on death row in Nigeria, according to Amnesty International. But there are also thousands of others at risk of being sentenced to death, it reports in 'NIGERIA: Prisoners' Rights Systematically Flouted', a 52-page study issued last month. Three out of four of these are suspected of armed robbery, a capital offence in Nigeria; the remainder are behind bars awaiting trial for murder. They include aged and mentally ill prisoners, as well as young mothers. In May 2007, Nigeria announced that it would grant amnesty to all death row inmates over 70, and those 60 or over who had been awaiting execution for ten years or more. However, Amnesty has no confirmation that any such prisoners were released. Former head of state Olusegun Obasanjo, who was succeeded by Umaru Yar'Adua in May, 2007, promised never to carry out capital punishment during his administration. He also pledged to introduce a death penalty ban. Obasanjo was in office for two terms, from 1999 to 2007.