Nigerian Governors Kick Against Death Penalty For Looters

A lot of governors in Nigeria, out rightly rejected the suggestion that looters of the nation’s resources be sentenced to death as suggested by the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress-at the beginning of the week…

Labour said it was only by killing looters that the anti-corruption crusade being championed by President Muhammadu Buhari could succeed but most governors, who reacted to the labour suggestion on Thursday, said the death sentence would be too harsh.
According to Punch, Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun said he would rather canvass that looters be sentenced to life imprisonment, rather than the death sentence prescribed by the organised labour. Amosun, made this known while addressing the state workers who had marched to the Oke Mosan state secretariat in Abeokuta to give their backing to Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade.
He said:

“Everybody knows President Muhammadu Buhari is transparent and meants well for the nation and would never want to hear anything about corruption.
“Even under 100 days in office, electricity is improving. People know that if you try it you are gone. I always say this, whether you are a governor, permanent secretary or labour leader, you cannot be corrupt under a leader that is not corrupt, because you will be punished.
“Unfortunately as a governor, I cannot be saying that capital punishment should be meted out to corrupt public officials. Because I cannot say that, that is why I will say that anybody that is found wanting, whether you are governor or any other public officer should be jailed for life.”
He however said that not only politicians should shun corruption but every Nigerian.
“It is not only politicians that should shun corruption, workers too should not be corrupt.”

Plateau State, Simon Lalong, also concurred with Amosun saying he would rather prefer life imprisonment to death penalty.
Governors of Ekiti and Rivers states, Ayodele Fayose and Nyesom Wike respectively, out rightly rejected death penalty for looters. Fayose, through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, had this to say:

“In countries where death penalty was introduced, it has not stopped looting. In advanced countries like US, jail sentence is the penalty. What we need is proper moral education to change orientation of the people. Jail sentence is better; it can reform,” he told one of our correspondents in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

Wike, who spoke through his special adviser on media, Opunabo Inko-Tariah, had this to say:

“Nigerians have a role to play by deriding looters and not to praise them for their fiscal irresponsibility. There should be a strong punitive measure to discourage looting because of its domino effects. When a treasury is looted, there won’t be money for the provision of necessities such as hospitals, roads, etc.
“Maybe because it happened in Ghana and the economy improved, the labour organisations want it in Nigeria. But that was a military regime and Jerry Rawlings was a military man. However, the extant laws on looting need serious and urgent review, even if the death penalty is discouraged.”

Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State said he was comfortable with whatever the people want in relation to punishment for looters. Speaking through his information commissioner, Kayode Akinmade, said if it was the wish of the people of the country that looters should be killed by law, “so be it’’ but that the process of law must be followed in carrying out such executions.
He said:

“We are not under a military rule; this is democracy and we have constitution that we follow. If it is put in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, irrespective of whether you are a governor or not, so be it. If that is what Nigerians want, it is okay.
“Everybody is against corruption, but there is a process of making law. Thank God we have a National Assembly and the state assemblies who are representative of the people. If such bill could be sent to the national and state assemblies and be passed into law, it must become a law.
“If the process is followed and it is the wish of Nigerians that looters be killed, why not? Let it become a law. It is a fact that Nigerians are not happy with this corruption tag, which has slowed down our economic development but if we have a law that will bring about capital punishment for the looters, it is okay.”

Whereas, the Governor of Nasarawa State, Umaru Al-Makura, supported that capital punishment be meted out to corrupt public office holders.

“I really agree with the NLC over call for capital punishment for any public office holder who is found guilty of looting public funds.”

What do you say???