The House of Representatives has rescinded its decision on the Bill to abolish the death penalty.
The Bill is sponsored by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Benjamin Kalu, and six others.
The bill is for an Act to alter the Constitution to review the penalties for certain capital offences in alignment with relevant international best practices and for related matters.
It seeks to amend Section 33 (1) of the 1999 Constitution.
The aforementioned section stipulates that: “Every person has a right to life, and no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life, save in execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offence of which he has been found guilty in Nigeria.”
The bill proposes the removal of the phrase: “Save in execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offence of which he has been found guilty in Nigeria.”
While Nigeria recommends the death penalty for crimes such as armed robbery and murder, among others, executions are rare.
Successive presidents and governors have refrained from signing death warrants since 1999, leading to a backlog of death row inmates.
