Thirty seven inmates sentenced to death for capital offences in Bauchi State are currently languishing on death row, awaiting execution as state authorities remain reluctant to sign death warrants.
This was revealed by the public relations officer of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Bauchi State Command, Ahmed Tata, during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Bauchi.
Tata disclosed that the inmates include 36 men and one woman, all convicted of capital crimes by various courts in the state. However, despite their sentencing, none has been executed due to the refusal of successive civilian governors to sign the necessary death warrants.
“Since 1999, no democratically elected governor in Bauchi State has signed a death warrant,” Tata stated, noting that while governors under military rule may have approved executions, democratic administrations have avoided the act entirely.
His comments were in response to a NAN survey investigating the reasons behind state governors’ hesitancy to approve executions of condemned prisoners across Nigeria.
Under Nigerian law, death sentences passed by the courts can only be carried out after the state governor signs the death warrant, a constitutional responsibility that many governors have been reluctant to fulfill.
