Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has said that the Lagos State Government cannot execute the death penalty passed on death row inmates in the state going by the judgement delivered in 2002 by the High Court of Lagos State.
Falana however urged the Governor Ambode led administration to rather convert the penalty to life imprisonment.
TheNewsGuru.com reports that the General Overseer of the Christian Praying Assembly, Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, also known as Rev. King is one of the persons on the death row.
Falana stated this in a letter addressed to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on April 19 2017.
He argued that the planned execution of death row inmates in the state would violate a judgment delivered in 2012 by the High Court of Lagos State which ruled that it’s unconstitutional to execute the inmates on death row.
The human right defender reminded Governor Ambode that the judgment of the court of the state had held that to hang or subject the death row inmates to firing squad would lead to the violation of their fundamental right to freedom from torture guaranteed by the Constitution.
He recalled that the judgment was delivered by Justice Mufutau Olokooba of the Lagos State High Court back in June 29, 2012.
According to him, “On the basis of the valid and subsisting judgment of the Lagos High Court on the illegality of the execution of the death penalty in Lagos State we urge Your Excellency not to sign a death warrant authorising the killing of any condemned prisoner either by hanging, firing squad or any other means whatsoever.
“In the circumstance, Your Excellency may wish to commute the death sentences of all condemned prisoners in Lagos State to life imprisonment forthwith.”
The Attorney-General of Lagos State, Adeniji Kazeem, while addressing the press on Tuesday had declared that unlike previous governments, Governor Ambode would sign the necessary documents to execute those on death row in the state.
According to him, “On the basis of the valid and subsisting judgment of the Lagos High Court on the illegality of the execution of the death penalty in Lagos State we urge Your Excellency not to sign a death warrant authorising the killing of any condemned prisoner either by hanging, firing squad or any other means whatsoever.
“In the circumstance, Your Excellency may wish to commute the death sentences of all condemned prisoners in Lagos State to life imprisonment forthwith.”
The Attorney-General of Lagos State, Adeniji Kazeem, while addressing the press on Tuesday had declared that unlike previous governments, Governor Ambode would sign the necessary documents to execute those on death row in the state.
TheNewsGuru.com that the nation’s apex court had on 27 February, 2016 upheld the judgment of the Appeal Court which passed death penalty on King, saying the condemned reverend and others on others on the death row inmates must die by hanging.