Children spectators at Nigeria’s executions

Press, 2 January 1985, Page 12

Children spectators at Nigeria’s executions

By

Richard Hall

in London

Firing squads have publicly executed more than 70 people in Nigeria since the army seized power under Major-General Buhari. In some cases, those sentenced to death were taken back to their home villages and shot in front of their families. The latest reported executions took place in October in Port Harcourt. Six men convicted of armed robbery were lined up for the firing squad in the city’s recreation stadium. Amnesty International has appealed to the Nigerian Government to halt the spate of executions, many of which it says have been “attended by considerable numbers of spectators, including children.” The military regime has committed itself to wiping out crime, especially armed robbery, since it ousted the civilian regime of President Shagari at the start of this year. It made a decree setting up military tribunals with powers to order death by firing squad for

those convicted, with no rights of appeal. In some cases, according to Amnesty, the sentences were carried out so swiftly as to “raise doubts about the thoroughness of the review process.” In Kwara State, eight men convicted of stealing cars were shot within 48 hours of having been convicted. In September, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Brigadier Mohammed Magoro, urged one state governor to speed up the confirmation of death sentences to “ease the congestion in prisons.” Latest reports say that more than 800 people are awaiting execution in Nigeria. Public executions have been common practice in Nigeria to maintain law and order under successive military regimes. At first, it was common to carry out the punishments on Bar Beach, Lagos, with full television coverage. The largest number of people known to have been publicly exe-

cuted at one time in Nigeria is 34. They were army officers and men convicted of an attempted coup which resulted in the death of the Head of State, General Murtala Muhammede, in 1977. The plotters were found guilty by a secret military trial. Among those executed was the Defence Minister, Major-General Illyasu Bissalla. Two decrees brought into force in July prescribe death by firing squad for such offences as dealing in counterfeit currency and arson. They are also retroactive, covering crimes committed since the military coup on December 31, 1983. Amnesty International is appealing to the Supreme Military Council to commute all death penalties coming before it for review, and to change the special tribunals to “bring them into accordance with internationally recognised standards of fairness.”

Copywright, — London Observer Service