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Stakeholders in Justice Sector Urge FG to Replace Death Sentence With Life Imprisonment
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s justice sector have renewed calls for the abolition of death penalty, urging the Federal Government to replace it with life imprisonment and adopt restorative justice measures that uphold human dignity.
The call was made during the commemoration of the 23rd World Day Against the Use of the Death Penalty, themed “Death Penalty Protects No One,” and the launch of The Inclusion Project (TIP) documentary titled “Justice Reimagined: Voices of Loss.”
The documentary, produced by TIP, features the experiences of victims of capital offences and challenges the belief that the death penalty deters crime. It argues instead that executions neither prevent violence nor deliver justice but risk taking innocent lives.
TIP Director, Mrs. Pamela Okoroigwe, said it was time for Nigeria to move away from retribution toward a justice system grounded in rehabilitation.
“For too long, the death penalty has been justified in the name of victims without consulting them. Many now reject it, not out of sympathy for offenders, but because killing in response to killing only deepens injustice,” she stated.
Associate Professor of Law at the University of Lagos, Dr. Abiodun Odusote, noted that decades of enforcing the death penalty in Nigeria have not deterred crimes such as murder, kidnapping, and banditry. “Judges must still pronounce death sentences, but most governors refuse to sign execution warrants, showing even government discomfort with enforcing them,” he observed, calling for an official moratorium to allow life terms and rehabilitation instead.
Similarly, Convener of the Criminal Justice Network of Nigeria, Mr. Nathaniel Ngwu, said the documentary captures the pain and disillusionment.
of victims who find no closure in executions.
“The death penalty has done little to heal victims or reduce violence. Nigeria should follow the examples of Malawi, Sierra Leone, and the UK, which abolished it without an increase in crime,” he said.
The stakeholders concluded that true justice lies not in vengeance, but in reforms that ensure fair trials, prevent wrongful convictions, and address the root causes of crime through humane and restorative approaches.
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Breaking: Nigerian Workers Demand N300,000 Minimum Wage, FG Faces Fresh Salary Pressure
The Federal Workers Forum, FWF, has demanded an immediate increase in the federal minimum wage from N70,000 to N300,000, noting that the current salary structure can no longer sustain civil servants amid Nigeria’s rising cost of living.
The Forum made the demand in a letter dated September 2, 2026, addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly, with the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Justice of Nigeria and Head of the Civil Service of the Federation listed among the recipients.
The workers also proposed a new salary structure that would place the highest-paid Level 17 officer on a monthly salary of N1.5 million, while Level 1 Step 1 workers would earn N300,000.
“We call for justice and immediate wage review now, adjust the federal minimum wage to N300,000 and a maximum wage of N1.5m for the Level 17 officers,” the Forum said.
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The FWF argued that the Federal Government had not fully implemented the 2024 minimum wage agreement, claiming that federal workers had yet to receive the full consequential adjustment and associated allowances.
“It will surprise you to hear that the Federal Government has not fully implemented the new national minimum wage since July 2024. We have been in the battle for full consequential adjustment of the new minimum wage,” it said.
Recall that the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in August 2026, demanded an upward review of the minimum wage to N500,000.
In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu’s government increased the minimum wage to N70,000 per month from N30,000.
However, the cost of living for many Nigerians has tripled between 2024 and 2026.
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The Federal Government has said Nigeria will never support a military coup or any unconstitutional change of government, following claims that the country backed a failed coup attempt in the Niger Republic.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, made this known in a statement issued on Thursday.
According to the statement, the claims circulating on social media are baseless and misleading.
Enikanolaiye said Nigeria remained committed to democracy, constitutional rule and political stability in West Africa and would not support any attempt to remove a government through unconstitutional means.
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“Nigeria will never support illegality or unconstitutional change of government anywhere, no matter who is involved or which country is concerned,” he said.
The minister also rejected claims that Nigeria, through its membership of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), supported or endorsed the military takeover in Niger.
He said the Federal Government had already stated its position on the situation in Niger in an earlier statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 30, 2026.
According to him, Nigeria remains deeply concerned about developments in Niger and wants the country to return peacefully to stability and constitutional order.
Enikanolaiye said Nigeria’s close historical, cultural and fraternal ties with Niger made peace and stability in the neighbouring country particularly important.
“Nigerians at home and abroad should disregard the videos and narratives circulating online, they are intended to create confusion and tarnish Nigeria’s image,” the statement said.
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