The British high commissioner, Paul Arkwright has urged that Nigeria should prohibit death penalty. This is in support of the recent call by the EU Heads of Mission in Nigeria to uphold the moratorium on the capital punishment.
The Ambassador noted that, “on 1st February, 2017, Lagos state signed a law authorising death penalty for anyone convicted of kidnapping where the victim dies. It’s also regrettable that as recently as 23 December, 2016, Nigeria witnessed the execution of three prisoners authorised by the Edo state government.
“These actions have undermined the progress Nigeria made in upholding the moratorium on the death penalty. I fully associate myself with the recent call by EU Heads of Mission in Nigeria to uphold the moratorium on the death penalty that has been in place since 2006.
“We remain open to working with the Nigerian government and civil society to push forward the debate towards abolition of the death penalty,” the statement concluded.
According to a report by the EU Heads of Mission on death penalty in Edo state, the Mission had shown deep regret at the execution of three Nigerian prisoners on 23 December 2016, an execution authorised by the Edo state government. The EU further stressed upon the universality of
human rights including the right to life, while opposing the death penalty in all circumstances.
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