The Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) has urged the federal and state governments not to execute death-row inmates, insisting it is not a solution to decongest prisons.

In a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, PRAWA made the call in collaboration with the Civil Society Organisations Forum on Detention and Corrections.

In July, Carmelite Prisoners’ Interest Organisation (CAPIO) raised the alarm over the call to trigger the execution of 3,008 inmates on death row in prisons across Nigeria by President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime to decongest the nation’s prisons.

The statement, signed by 19 CSOs and released by PRAWA’s spokesperson Ogechi Agu said execution of the inmates would not add value to the quest for a crime-free society.

The forum agreed with interior minister Rauf Aregbesolaon the need to close cases involving thousands of condemned criminals waiting for execution.

However, it said, “We do not subscribe to the minister’s call for the execution of these persons for many reasons. We see the request for execution of inmates as a consequence of the failure of Nigeria to heed the call of the United Nations General Assembly to establish a moratorium on the execution of death sentences.

“This is a huge detraction from the substantially good records Nigeria maintained in terms of ratification of international human rights instruments.”

The further explained that the call for execution was a dent in the country’s human rights records, which had consequences for the country’s image.

“It is the position of our forum that the execution of inmates cannot be a solution to congestion which obviously is not caused by the presence of such inmates in custody,” the coalition of CSOs stated.

It said rather it would be counterproductive in terms of negating the principles of dignity, respect of every human being, and sanctity of human life as captured in several human rights instruments ratified by Nigeria.

It suggested that “where abolishment of the death penalty is not immediately achievable,” Nigeria should establish a moratorium on execution of those on death row.

(NAN)