21 Convicted Prisoners Awaiting Execution In Niger

The Deputy Comptroller of Prison in charge of Minna Medium Prison, Garba Abubakar, on Sunday disclosed that 21 condemned criminals are awaiting execution while 10 others are serving life sentences.

He made the disclosure when the International Federation of Women Lawyers, Niger State Chapter, visited the prison in Minna.

It was learnt that some of the men on death row were convicted based on their statements which were obtained by the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department of the Niger State Police Command.

Abubakar said the lawyers’ visit had raised the hopes of inmates who had been on the awaiting-trial list for years.

He disclosed that some of the convicts were transferred from kogi, Kano and Sokoto states, adding that their state governors had waded into their cases through their committees on prerogative of mercy, which commuted their death sentence to life in jail.

FIDA Chairperson, Maryam Jibo, described the plight of the inmates as pathetic, assuring the prisons authorities that her association would pursue the matter to a logical conclusion.

Jibo said, “FIDA, as a non-governmental organisation, will forward their cases to the appropriate authorities within the justice system to seek speedy ways to end their hopeless predicament, especially those on awaiting-trial list.”

In a chat with Northern City News, the convicts claimed that their confessional statements were obtained under duress and torture by police operatives.

An inmate, Apostle Ukaegbu, blamed the courts for the delayed prosecution of awaiting-trial inmates, noting that he had spent over four years awaiting trial for armed robbery and conspiracy.

“I have been here for over four years and nothing was said about my case. People are languishing here and the judiciary is not helping matters; some inmates have been here for over 10 to15 years and nothing has been said about them,” he stated.