Former Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, Hon. Justice Ishaq Bello, has urged state governors to sign death warrants for inmates convicted of capital offences who have exhausted all legal remedies.
Speaking on Friday in Enugu, Enugu State, during the Nigeria Human Rights Conference themed “The Right to Development, Rule of Law and the Nigerian Dream”, Justice Bello said the reluctance of governors to sign death warrants was contributing to the persistence of crime in society.
“If you are a judge and a case comes before you, you hear it and fairly decide. If your decision is in a civil matter, you will do the needful as the law requires of you. If it is criminal, you’ve made a conviction, and if there’s any role for any governor, let him perform it,” Justice Bello said.
According to him, the failure of governors to fulfil their constitutional obligations is indirectly encouraging criminal activity.
Justice Bello lamented systemic lapses where governors had neglected their responsibilities, allowing crime to flourish unchecked.
He cited his experience as Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Prison Reforms and Decongestion, where he encountered numerous inmates on death row because governors hesitated to sign death warrants.
“By refusing to fulfill their constitutional obligations as required by the law, they indirectly encourage the criminals in their atrocities,” he said.
He argued that signing death warrants is an integral part of the criminal justice process and would help ease congestion in the country’s prison facilities.
Justice Bello noted that the governors’ hesitation stemmed more from a lack of understanding of their constitutional roles than from any defect in the law itself.
“Some governors have expressed humanitarian concerns, while others cite complexities in the legal system as reasons for not signing death warrants,” he said.
He also criticised comparisons between Nigeria’s justice system and those of countries like the United Kingdom and the United States, pointing out the stark differences in infrastructure and funding.
“What investment is done in the judiciary, in the police, among others? Wherever there is responsibility, there’s need for funding,” he said.
