Death Sentence By Administering “Poisonous Injection” Under The Nigerian Criminal Justice System.

#OBSCURELEGALFACTS by Arome Abu.

DEATH SENTENCE BY ADMINISTERING “POISONOUS INJECTION” UNDER THE NIGERIAN CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.

In Nigeria, execution by lethal (poisonous) injection is one of the recognized means of causing the death of persons sentenced to death.

SEE SECTION 402 OF THE Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.

Administration of lethal injection was introduced first, in the United States to supplant other modes of execution such as use of electric chairs, gas inhalation, hanging and firing squad which were considered expensive and cruel.

Lethal injection in China was legalized in 1996. And in 2009, the Supreme People’s Court of China ordered the discontinuation of firing squads by the following year under the conclusion that injections were more humane to the prisoner. It has been suggested that the switch is also in response to executions being horrifying to the public and that Lethal injections are less expensive than firing squads, with a single dose costing 300 yuan compared to 700 yuan for a shooting execution.

After administering lethal injection, death usually occurs within seven minutes, although, due to complications in finding a suitable vein, the whole procedure can take up to two hours.

In recent years, administration of lethal injection has been trailed by scathing criticisms. In 2011, the export of drugs to be used for lethal injection was banned by the European Union (EU).

Typically, three drugs are used in lethal injection. 
(1) Pancuronium bromide to cause muscle paralysis and respiratory arrest. 

(2) Potassium chloride to stop the heart,

(3) Sodium thiopental to induce unconsciousness.

Progressive counties like Canada, France, Germany among others have abolished death sentence.

Arome Abu is the Managing Partner of Abu & Olaniyan Partners.

CAVEAT: Note that this information is provided for general enlightenment purposes and is not intended to be any form of legal advice.

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