RIGHT TO LIFE IN NIGERIA; CAPITAL PUNISHMENT AND EUTHANASIA.

Nigeria is a state rich in human resources, cultural diversity, religious animosity, electoral violence, corruption and such other favourable wahalas which stand Nigeria out amongst the good Nations of this world. (Sarcasm intended). But perhaps one other area which Nigeria has really stepped up its game and is working overtime on, is improvement in the manner, and increase in the number of human rights abuses daily. After the now celebrated “Lekki shooting,” we can agree that Nigeria has done enough to deserve recognition as a top human right abusing state. Kudos to us on this. On the other hand, so many Nigerians are either misinformed or not informed at all about their rights. In comes theblogspotwithfifi to see if she can help us in this regard. (That is if Nigerians will even read). This week laidis, we are very briefly considering issues which reasonably emerge from a discussion on human rights. These include the burning issue of capital punishment and euthanasia. Ngwanu lets dig in.

What is this capital punishment thing and how does it relate to right to life?

Shebi you know that if we say that you have right to life, it simply means that nobody can just wake up one morning or maybe one evening and kill you anyhow. Lawyers prefer to say; “no one shall be intentionally deprived of his life”. But there are exceptions. Capital punishment is one of those exceptions and it is otherwise called death penalty.  Therefore, there are certain offences which if you are found guilty of, you could be sentenced to death. Section 33 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigera permits this. Some of the offences include; obviously murder, terrorism related offences, robbery, kidnapping, and the less obvious ones like blasphemy, homosexuality and sodomy (some states in Nigeria have actually provided the death penalty for these offences. Don’t believe me? Click https://ilga.org/downloads/ILGA_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_2019.pdf). E shock you abi? 

But please stealing in the marketplace is not an offence punishable by death, so don’t join the burning of thieves in the market. (this is murder ooo and if you are caught, tried and found guilty your people will cry, because baba na die you dey go so, iwatago?). Meanwhile beating them is also against their right to dignity of the human person (but that is a discussion for another day). Another thing to note is that even if you catch a person committing the offences punishable by death in what our people call “red handed”, it is not in your place to enforce the law instantaneously, the due process of law must be followed always. It may be slow at times, but it must be followed to avoid innocent individuals being punished for an offence they didn’t commit. Ngwanu write it down that it is in the foundation of Nigerian criminal law, that; “it is better for 9 criminals to walk free than for one innocent individual to be punished for an offence he didn’t commit.”

Very many arguments exist for and against the death penalty. Some say it should be abolished as it is against the right to dignity of the human person, more so, the punishment is losing relevance internationally as very many states of the world have abandoned it. Those in favor of the death penalty anchor their arguments on the fact that it will deter crime. 

So, what are your thoughts do you think the death penalty should be abolished? What if the accused actually killed your mother? Will your answer remain the same? Well, maybe you should share your thoughts in the comments section. 

Whatever your position, please never forget that the capital punishment is still very much alive in Nigeria and it is a principal exception to the right to life. 

Which one is this Euthanasia and how does it affect right to life?

Forget about the big grammar, the something is very simple. You know that there are situations where someone (God forbid it for me and you), is very sick in the hospital and there is no hope of recovery. The person is not dead yet, but he is suffering and his people are suffering and wasting so much money. Euthanasia means painlessly killing such a person so you can end his suffering on this earth. Ehnnnnn, it is also called 'mercy killing' or sometimes used interchangeably with 'assisted suicide'.  

Please before we go any further, Suicide is illegal under relevant criminal laws enforceable in Nigeria and so also is Killing another person whether to end his suffering or to end your own suffering. 

That having been said, there are increasing arguments for mercy killing around the world, but not many countries have legalized it (Netherlands is one of the few to legalize it). Whereas those against it hang their argument on morality and the sanctity of human life, those in favor of euthanasia argue that right to life necessarily includes a person’s right to die. Interesting stuff, right? What do you think? Would you ever suggest euthanasia for yourself or a beloved family member? Share your thoughts in the comments section. 

As an aside to end today’s discourse, #endSARS, #endSWAT, YES!! But don’t be a SARS man who is beating up his wife every other day, don’t be the SWAT man infringing on the rights of your fellow Nigerian neighbor. Stay safe and stay sane my people!

ThePlaymaster!      

Emine Akpanukoh Esq.