A SIGNIFICANT number of convicts on death row in Niger and Kogi States remain alive due to ongoing appeals, fear of judicial errors, and ethical considerations, according to top government officials and legal experts.
This was revealed during a special survey conducted on Wednesday, which examined the growing backlog of death row cases in the two North-Central states.
Speaking on the matter, Malam Nasiru Mua’zu, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Niger State, disclosed that over 85 percent of inmates sentenced to death in the state are currently pursuing appeals at higher courts.
“In Niger, 85 per cent of the total number of convicts on death row are still on appeal,” he said.
“Appeals on capital punishment cases can take between 10 to 20 years due to the layers of legal review, from the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court.”
Mua’zu emphasized the need for extreme caution, noting that signing death warrants prematurely could lead to irreversible miscarriages of justice.
“Executing a person while an appeal is still pending could amount to a grave violation of their rights, especially if new evidence emerges or the verdict is overturned,” he added.
A similar stance was echoed by the Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, who, through the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Muiz Yinus-Abdullahi, explained that the fear of executing the innocent is a key reason behind the reluctance to authorize executions.
“There have been cases where individuals sentenced to death were later exonerated,” said Yinus-Abdullahi.
“It is more responsible and humane to delay action rather than rush into a fatal decision that cannot be undone.”
The Kogi justice commissioner further noted that no sitting governor in Nigeria has signed a death warrant since the return to democracy in 1999, saying the practice was more prevalent under military regimes.
He also appealed to the Federal Government to consider amending the Criminal Justice Act or the Constitution to commute death sentences to life imprisonment, in order to align the justice system with modern human rights standards.
“These inmates are citizens too,” he said. “As the chief custodian of their welfare, a governor should not be seen as assenting to their death, but rather ensuring fairness, even in the face of justice.”
The issue continues to provoke legal and moral debates, especially as prisons in some states struggle with overcrowded death rows and delayed justice.