04 June 2008 :

capital punishment may soon be expunged from Nigeria's statutes book if members of the House of Representatives now sponsoring a Bill towards that direction, have their way.
Three members of the House are proposing a Bill for an Act to amend the Criminal Code Act Cap. C38, Robbery and Fire Arms (Special Provisions) Act Cap R11 and the Armed Forces Act Cap.A20 Laws of the Federation.
They want to substitute death penalty with life imprisonment. Even though the Bill expected to be tabled on the floor of the House by Hon. Itulah this week would not seek to abolish state laws, it would amend the Federal enactment to abolish capital punishment or out rightly expunge death sentences from penal laws made by the National Assembly.
According to a correspondence by Hon. Itulah explaining the merits of the Bill to members of the House "by the time the National Assembly expunges capital punishment from its statutes book, the various state houses of Assembly will either follow suit or take steps to domesticate the one that has been passed by the National Assembly." Government, he stated should pay more attention to the reformation of criminals rather than committing them to death adding "when such criminals are rehabilitated, they are likely to become good citizens of this nation."