Former Senator Shehu Sani has urged the government to review the cases of nearly 4,000 Nigerians currently placed on death row across various correctional facilities in the country.
Sani, who represented Kaduna Central in the National Assembly, disclosed that some of the condemned inmates have been awaiting execution for more than three decades. He stated that the prolonged detention of these inmates has created serious administrative and security challenges for correctional officers.
The former Senator stated that state governors have over time shown reluctance in signing death warrants to authorize executions, and equally failing to exercise their prerogative of mercy to commute the sentences. According to him, several inmates have spent over 30 years awaiting execution since the military era.
Sani, via his official X account on Friday, appealed to the government to evaluate the situation to ease the operational burden on the prison system.
“It’s not easy to take a decision on capital offences, but their cases need be reviewed to ease the burden on the services,” Sani stated.
The former lawmaker also advised the Nigerian Correctional Service to officially guide the government in identifying inmates who have demonstrated good conduct and may qualify for state clemency.
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