Four Convicts Hanged In Edo Despite Pending Appeal

Edo State yesterday executed four death row prisoners, Chima Ejiofor, Daniel Nsofor, Osarenmwinda Aigbonkhan and Richard Igagu, despite their pending appeals at the Court of Appeal. The early execution of the inmates may not be unconnected with President Goodluck Jonathan’s recent speech where he directed state governors to sign the execution warrant of death row inmates, saying they shouldn’t shy away from it no matter how hard it is to do, noting that it was part of their duties. The execution, it was learnt, took place despite the inmates’ pending suit challenging their being on death row for over 16 years. They had also asked that their conviction be commuted to life imprisonment. Meanwhile, Legal Defence and Assistance Project, LEDAP and Amnesty International, yesterday, condemned the execution which took place at 6:45pm yesterday. In his reaction, Edo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Henry Idahagbon, said the executed men were convicted 15 years ago, noting that the Edo State Government had nothing to do with the execution. “These people were convicted 15 years ago. I was only informed this (last) night by the prison authorities that they had been hanged. One of them was convicted in Kaduna, while their matters had gone up to the Supreme Court, and came back to the Federal High Court, Benin. It really has nothing to do with us as a government. “The governor only signed the death sentence of two, while previous governors signed that of two others. The information I got was that they went to the Federal High Court, which Monday refused their plea for leniency and I believe what the prison authorities did was to execute them immediately after they left the court,” Idahagbon said. “Edo State government has no hand in it. I was only informed that it had been done,” he added. In the suit before the Federal High Court, the death row prisoners had contended that to execute them after over 16 years of trauma, suspense and imminent death would amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. LEDAP noted that “it had, with HURSDEF, on October 19, 2012, filed a suit at the Federal High Court, Benin, on behalf of death row prisoners earmarked for execution by Edo State Government. “However, judgment was delivered against the inmates by Justice Liman of the Federal High Court, holding among other grounds, that the prisoners did not place sufficient facts before the court to substantiate the relief sought in the suit,” LEDAP said. They had asked the court to order the Edo State Governor to commute their death sentences to terms of