Only CJN alone should sign death warrant—– Ganduje

Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, on Saturday, suggested that the law mandating state governors to sign death warrants of condemned prisoners should be amended by the National Assembly and reassigned to the Chief Justice of Nigeria.

While receiving the new Comptroller of Prisons, Kano Command, Mr. Aliyu Achor, Ganduje lamented that most of the governors refused to sign execution documents in their respective states, stressing that the development was contributing to prison congestion across the federation.

“Life is valued in African culture; perhaps that is why governors here are reluctant to sign execution documents. Since judges are the ones who make the sentences, I think the National Assembly should amend the law to empower the CJN to sign death warrants. I think the Chief Justice of Nigeria is in a better position to assent to the execution,” the governor stated.

Meanwhile, Ganduje said members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, popularly known as Shi’ites, must obtain permit and obey police directives before embarking on any street procession.

Scores of Shi’ite members were gunned down by the police in Kano last week, during a procession. About 300 of them were also allegedly killed by soldiers in Zaria, Kaduna State last December.

Speaking in an interview with journalists on the sideline of the Nigeria Entrepreneurs Award on Thursday in Abuja, Ganduje, who was presented with an award, said, “As far as they continue breaking the law, the police have to come in. They cannot use their freedom to do whatever they want because they are infringing on other people’s human rights.

“As far as we are concerned, they have to recognise the authority of the security agencies, they have to get permission. If they do not get permission, then the police will not allow them to continue with the procession.”