Human Rights Day : Nigeria : Focus on the work of the Legal Defence and Assistance project
The British High Commission supports action to prevent the use of the death penalty
The UK along with other European Union Member States is opposed to the use of the death penalty in all circumstances.
The British High Commission has been proud to support the Legal Defence and Assistance project LEDAP for the last two years as they support prisoners on death-row.
The population of prisoners on death row in Nigeria has increased by almost 5% annually, from 610 persons in 2005 to 1220 persons in 2013. Nearly all death row inmates are Nigerian and many are mentally ill or in deteriorating ill-heath. Since 2011, LEDAP has assisted with the legal defence of several prisoners facing the death sentence, most often resulting in their exoneration.
The British High Commission welcomed the release of two prisoners in Benin city recently by the governor of Kaduna state and hopes this will set a precedent for other states to uphold the moratorium on the use of the death penalty in Nigeria.