4 condemned criminals were hanged in edo state,monday by nigeria prison service .more to follow across nigeria. this is the first since 2006

Wonderful

Prisons will be decongested.

top condemed murderers include rev.king,el mustapha

While MOPOL have been using armed robbers for target practice continually, thereby creating space in prison cells.

By Innocent Anaba
and SIMON
EBEGBULEM
BENIN-CITY – Four
death row prisoners,
Chima Ejiofor, Daniel
Nsofor,
Osarenmwinda
Aigbonkhan and
Richard Igagu in Edo
State, were,
yesterday, executed,
despite their pending
appeals at the Court
of Appeal.
It will be recalled that
President Goodluck
Jonathan had recently
directed state
governors to sign the
execution warrant of
death row inmates,
advising them not to
shy away from same,
as it was part of their
duties.
Vanguard gathered
that the execution
took place despite the
pendency of the suit
by the condemned
inmates, challenging
their being on death
row for over 16 years.
They had also asked
that their conviction
be commuted to life
imprisonment.
Meanwhile, Legal
Defence and
Assistance Project,
LEDAP and Amnesty
International,
yesterday,
condemned the
execution.
Vanguard was
informed that the
execution was carried
out at 6:45pm,
yesterday, by hang
men.
Edo State Attorney
General and
Commissioner for
Justice, Mr Henry
Idahagbon, in his
reaction, said the
executed men were
convicted 15 years
ago, noting that the
Edo State
Government had
nothing to do with
the execution.
He said: “These
people were
convicted 15 years
ago. I was only
informed this (last)
night by the prison
authorities that they
had been hanged.
One of them was
convicted in Kaduna,
while their matters
had gone up to the
Supreme Court, and
came back to the
Federal High Court,
Benin. It really has
nothing to do with us
as a government.
“The governor only
signed the death
sentence of two,
while previous
governors signed that
of two others. The
information I got was
that they went to the
Federal High Court,
which Monday
refused their plea for
leniency and I believe
what the prison
authorities did was to
execute them
immediately after
they left the court.
“Edo State
government has no
hand in it. I was only
informed that it had
been done,” he
added.
In the suit before the
Federal High Court,
the death row
prisoners had
contended that to
execute them after
over 16 years of
trauma, suspense and
imminent death
would amount to
cruel, inhuman and
degrading treatment.
They had asked the
court to order the
Edo State Governor to
commute their death
sentences to terms of
imprisonment.
LEDAP, in a statement
by its National
Coordinator, Mr.
Chino Obiagwu, said:
“The Attorney-General
of Edo State and the
prison authorities
were duly served with
the court processes,
comprising the notice
of appeal and motion
for stay of execution.
“Under Nigerian laws,
an appeal and
application for stay of
execution should
restrain further action
until the appeal is
determined.
“By executing the
prisoners, Nigeria
government has
demonstrated gross
disregard to the rule
of law and respect for
the judicial process.”
Amnesty’s reactions
Amnesty, in its
statement, said: “We
have received credible
reports that
authorities in Edo
State have hanged
four men in Benin
City Prison on
Monday (yesterday),
the first known
executions in the
country since 2006.
“A fifth man remains
at imminent risk of
execution.”
Amnesty’s Deputy
Director for Africa,
Lucy Freeman, said:
“If confirmed, these
executions mark a
sudden, brutal return
to the use of the
death penalty in
Nigeria, a truly dark
day for human rights
in the country.
“We again urge the
Nigerian authorities
to stop all executions
immediately and
return to the
moratorium on
executions in the
country.
LEDAP noted that “it
had, with HURSDEF,
on October 19, 2012,
filed a suit at the
Federal High Court,
Benin, on behalf of
death row prisoners
earmarked for
execution by Edo
State Government.
“In the suit, the
death row prisoners
in the suit contended
that to execute them
after over 16 years of
trauma, suspense and
imminent death
would amount to
cruel, inhuman and
degrading treatment.”
“The prisoners had
asked the court to
order the Edo State
governor to commute
their death sentences
to terms of
imprisonment.
“However, judgment
was delivered against
the inmates by Justice
Liman of the Federal
High Court, holding
among other grounds,
that the prisoners did
not place sufficient
facts before the court
to substantiate the
relief sought in the
suit.
The appeal
“LEDAP filed an
appeal against the
judgment of the
Federal High Court
and also a motion for
stay of execution
pending the outcome
of the appeal and
served the notice of
appeal with the
motion for stay of
execution on the
Attorney General of
Edo State and prison
authorities in Edo
State.
“Furthermore, all
death row prisoners
filed a case pending
at the Court of
Appeal Lagos,
challenging the
decision of state
governors to sign
their execution
warrants in the case
of Godwin Pius & Ors
vs. Governor of Abia
State & Ors.
“Both appeals are
pending at the Court
of Appeal and the
Edo State Governor
and Comptroller
General of Prisons
are parties in both
appeals. LEDAP is
representing the
prisoners in both
appeal and also a
party to the appeal in
Edo State.
“We condemn the
execution of the four
inmates despite the
pendency of the
appeal and motion
for stay of execution
filed by the inmates.
“Execution of the
inmates, while their
appeal is pending, is
unlawful and amounts
to a total disregard
for the rule of law
and judicial process in
any democratic
system.”
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