NIGERIA's Foreign Affairs Ministry has blasted the Amnesty International over calls to abolish the death penalty, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
This was contained in a statement issued by its permanent secretary Olushola Enikanolaiye on Friday in Abuja over growing concern by the international human rights group about the planned execution of some inmates in Lagos.
However, Mr enikanolaiye reminded Amnesty International that the Federal Government is not unaware of the global preference for the capital punishment which it said is yet to be established as a globally acceptable human rights norm.
While further dismissed AI claims that the death penalty was outdated describing it as a propanganda and called its attention to the emotional trauma suffered by the victims of violent crimes.
Mr. Enikanolaye explained that death penalty, as contained in Article 6 of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights was an exception to the right to life as long as it was not arbitrarily imposed.
The statement reads: “Furthermore, it is reaffirmed that Nigeria, incontrovertibly possesses the sovereign right to determine its laws and operate a criminal justice system within the rule of law.
“The imposition of death penalty is a constitutional matter in Nigeria clearly spelt out under Sections 33(1) and 34(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“As AI is probably aware, in every democracy, sovereignty belongs to the people,” he said.
According to him, it is, therefore, repugnant and imprudent for AI to continue condemning Nigeria’s criminal justice system on the basis of AI’s randomly conducted experiment on the use of the death penalty.
“AI should refocus attention on defending the rights of the traumatised family members of victims of violent crimes, rather than the veiled support for those who have committed heinous crimes against the Nigerian people.
“AI should refocus attention on defending the rights of the traumatised family members of victims of violent crimes, rather than the veiled support for those who have committed heinous crimes against the Nigerian people.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria remains committed to complying with its international human rights obligations while upholding the Constitution and the demonstrated will of the Nigerian people.
“The Federal Government has not deviated from its stated position of a self-imposed de facto moratorium on the execution of the death penalty on federal cases following the restoration of democracy in 1999,” he said.
He, however, noted that the federalist nature of democracy equally makes death penalty the prerogative of the state governments to impose and execute in accordance with the Constitution.
He, however, noted that the federalist nature of democracy equally makes death penalty the prerogative of the state governments to impose and execute in accordance with the Constitution.
According to him, the federal government duly recognises that there is no right more sacred than the right to life.
“Hence, the precondition for imposing the ultimate penalty in Nigeria is conducted with impeccable fairness and propriety, as the Nigerian Judiciary follows an exacting standard and a heightened level of due process in the prosecution of death penalty cases.
“Thus, the well-established safeguards for the prevention of wrongful conviction and execution of the death penalty are fully operational in these cases,” he said.
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