Chief Orientation and Mobilisation Officer of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mathew Odonor has described as beneficial to the country the recent advice by President Goodluck Jonathan to state governors that they should sign death warrants.
He said signing of death warrants would help to decongest the prisons in the country and as well help the country in many other ways.
Odonor who stated this on Friday in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, said the country’s legal system recognised death penalty and so it must continue to be practised. He added that the NOA would soon begin orientating citizens of the country on the importance of maintaining death warrants and other forms of capital punishments.
His argument comes at a time the execution of four convicts in Benin, Edo State has been generating serious controversies and condemnation from both local and international organisations.
Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke had maintained that death penalty is legal since it is recognised by the country’s constitution.
In his argument, Odonor said the execution of convicted criminals is one duty that state governments owe the citizenry, to reassure them of their safety and deter other criminals from wanton killing of innocent citizens.
To him, every country has its cultural values, norms, and laws enshrined in its legal system to preserve and regulate the behaviours of every member of the society.
“We have value for human life and our law says that whoever kills must be killed,” he said. “This is just the position of our legal system and we should not shy away from doing the right thing. I believe that violent crimes will reduce when those in charge of enforcing our laws start doing what is expected of them.”
He also linked the upsurge in violent crimes in the society to the refusal of state governments to act in this regard, especially where suspects are so convicted.
