Nigerian lawyers say it’s premature to abolish death penalty
By Martins Martins/WADR Correspondent
Amid increasing calls for the abolition of the death penalty, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Joe Daudu (SAN) has said it was premature to advocate for its abolition from the country’s legal system.
Daudu said this in an address he delivered at the occasion of "Saving Lives: Strengthening the Role of Lawyers to fight Against the Death Penalty" conference on Tuesday in Abuja.
The conference was organised by “Avocats Sans Frontieres” in partnership with Nigerian Bar Association, the National Human Rights and Accessed to Justice.
He said the country had to solve other problems relating to how it could punish criminals appropriately before contemplating the abolition of death penalty.
The NBA president explained that death penalty served as deterrent, adding that the country could be subsumed in anarchy with the absence of death penalty.
The Nigerian Bar President however said it was not a bad argument for death penalty to be abolished, but held that the criminal justice system must be first made perfect.
Amnesty International is leading a campaign to abolish the death penalty in Africa and across the world.
Tweet
