The Niger State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Alhaji Nasiru Mu’azu, has attributed the delay in signing death warrants for inmates on death row by state governors to complexities within the legal system.
Mu’azu, who stated this in Minna, explained that it is not a matter of governors being unwilling, but rather the result of a complex legal process in the administration of justice.
“These inmates on death row, as you called them, have the right to go to the appeal court to challenge the decision of their conviction in the high courts within three months of their conviction,” he explained.
The commissioner explained further that the backlog of cases in the courts means the appeal process can take a considerably longer period, which in turn makes it difficult for governors to sign death warrants without all legal avenues being fully exhausted.
According to him, “As a result of the number of cases pending in the Court of Appeal, their cases may not be heard. It may take longer period before their own case can even be listed to be heard in the appellate court.
“After the Appeal Court, they can still go up to the Supreme Court, again, in the Supreme Court, their case may suffer another period of delay. So, it is not as if the governor is refusing to sign the death warrant as you think.”
DAILY POST recalls that the Deputy Comptroller in charge of Media and Public Relations of the Nigeria Correctional Service, DCC Umar Abubakar Danlami, recently disclosed that a total of 3,823 inmates, comprising 3,700 males and 42 females, are currently on death row.
Out of this figure, Kano, Kaduna, and Lagos states reportedly have the highest numbers of such inmates, with a total of 1,300 in Kano, 1,250 in Kaduna, and 2,055 in Lagos.
