A bill seeking to abolish death penalty has passed second reading in the House of Representatives.
Gatekeepers News reports that this follows years of advocacy from human rights groups calling for an end to capital punishment, arguing that it should be replaced with life imprisonment or longer sentences.
The bill was sponsored by Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker of the house, and six other lawmakers. It seeks to amend section 33 (1) of the 1999 constitution.
The section states 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 to delete 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.”
