Stakeholders have renewed calls for government to abolish capital punishment and replace it with life imprisonment.
They urged authorities to amend relevant criminal laws and remove the death penalty.
They advocated a justice reform approach that prioritises victims’ needs through restorative and humane means rather than retribution.
The activists spoke at the 23rd World Day Against Use of the Death Penalty: Death penalty protects no one,” and launch of The Inclusion Project (TIP) documentary, “Justice reimagined: Voices of Loss.”
The documentary amplified voices and experiences of victims of capital offences, offering a perspective on use of the death penalty in Nigeria.
It said capital punishment has not cut crimes but raised wrongful convictions and irreversible killing of the innocent.
TIP’s Director, Mrs. Pamela Okoroigwe, said the documentary is to educate Nigerians and urge end to death penalty.
“For long, the death penalty has been defended on behalf of victims without asking them what they want,” she said.
“Many reject it, not out of sympathy for offenders, but because these killings do not deliver justice.”
Unilag don, Abiodun Odusote, said studies show the penalty does not deter crime.
Source; The Nation News
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