Over the death penalty for kidnappers in Lagos state which was signed on the 1st of February, 2017, and the execution of three prisoners in Edo state on the 23rd of December, 2016, that was authorised by the state government, the British high commissioner, Paul Arkwright has urged the Federal Government (FG), to stop death penalty.
According to Ceoafrica, the admonition is in support of the recent call by the European Union (EU) Heads of Mission in Nigeria to uphold the moratorium on the capital punishment.
Paul said that “These actions have undermined the progress Nigeria made in upholding the moratorium on the death penalty. I fully associate myself with the recent call by EU Heads of Mission in Nigeria to uphold the moratorium on the death penalty that has been in place since 2006.
“We remain open to working with the Nigerian government and civil society to push forward the debate towards abolition of the death penalty”, the statement concluded.
According to a report by the EU Heads of Mission on death penalty in Edo state, the Mission had shown deep regret at the execution of three Nigerian prisoners on 23 December 2016, an execution authorised by the Edo state government. The EU further stressed upon the universality of human rights including the right to life, while opposing the death penalty in all circumstances.
