Ogun may sign death warrants of condemned inmates – Govt

The Ogun State Government has said it is considering signing death warrants of condemned criminals sentenced by competent courts to serve as a deterrent to those who may want to commit heinous crimes in the state.

The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade, SAN, made this known on Friday after inspecting inmates and facilities at the Correctional Centre, Ibara, Abeokuta.

Ogungbade, who was taken around by officers of the centre, expressed concern over the increase in criminal activities like ritual killings, kidnapping, cultism, and other heinous crimes in recent times in the state.

He said the state government was ready to take the bull by the horns by implementing the law and signing the death warrants.

The commissioner observed that despite the proactive measures put in place by security agencies in tackling crimes, there appeared to be an upsurge, particularly in ritual killings.

Ogungbade added that the government had identified the wrong perception that there would be no repercussions when some of the crimes were committed as the root cause of the upsurge in criminal activities.

 He said, “The law as of today, for example, states that a murder case attracts the death penalty and some other offences. But if you look at it nationally, for a long time, there has been reluctance on the part of governments across the states, particularly since the advent of democratic rule to sign death warrants.

“But I assure you that at this time, we are looking very seriously at following the law to its letter. It is part of the duty of the governor to sign death warrants, and I am certain that when he took that oath of office, he took it knowing full well the responsibilities that come with it.

“Though I may not give a timeline, I can only say that in deserving cases, which we are looking at, it will happen. If somebody has gone through the process of a fair trial and has made use of all his appeals, we will begin to look seriously at implementing those judgments, hoping that it will serve as a deterrent to those who still intend to carry out such crimes.”