The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola has asked state governors to sign the death warrants of convicted criminals that are not embarking on any challenge to their conviction to decongest prisons in the country.
This was disclosed by the Minister on Friday in Osogbo, Osun State.
According to the Minister, he said the nation’s correctional facilities are being pushed to the limit by an overpopulated capacity of 18 percent stating that the facilities were built to serve 57,278 inmates but currently occupying 68,747 inmates.
He added that to remedy the decongested, convicts on death row who have used up all means of appeal must be expedited to the gallow.
Aregbesola said “There are presently 3,008 condemned criminals waiting for their date with the executioners in our meager custodial facilities. This consists of 2,952 males and 56 females.”
“In cases where an appeal has been exhausted and the convicts are not mounting any challenge to their conviction, the state should go ahead, to do the needful and bring closure to their cases.”
Also, he revealed that the Federal government is aiming to build additional correctional facilities in all the country’s six geo-political zones to complement the 3,000 capacity custodial centers under construction in Kano, Rivers, and Abuja.
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