Nigeria's dramatic plan to execute all convicted prisoners

If I recall correctly there was speculative talk for a brief while of 'prison ships' to cope with prison overcrowding in the UK. I am sure the radical proposal was only ever the result of a brainstorming session- and we all know what results they produce (see the recent FCO memo regarding Pope Benedict’s pending visit?).

However only last week did Nigeria’s state governors, in the spirit of astonishing off-the-wall suggestions that make prison-ships sound like cruises to rival the Queen Mary; did they offer their support for the execution of over 300 prisoners on death row to clear space in the overcrowded jails.

After a meeting of the 36 state governors on 20 April 2010 Theodore Orji, governor of the south-eastern state of Abia, commented that: "It was agreed that those people who have been condemned should be executed accordingly."

More worryingly the governors also noted that 80% of the prison population in Nigeria is awaiting trial; and according to the Nigerian Prisoners Service, that could be as many as 36,000 inmates. It has been reported that an incredibly 6% of prisoners with appeals have been kept waiting in prison for over 20years.

Only last year did lawmakers attempt to promote crimes involving oil theft to those deemed eligible for execution.

It would appear that with such condemning statistics little has improved since Amnesty International conducted a report back in October 2008 that claimed hundreds of people on death row in Nigeria did not have a fair trial and could be innocent.

The recent statement by state governors is a stark contrast to public mood back in 2004 when the country feigned an interest to abolish the death penalty with the undertaking of a national opinion poll to determine whether there was public support for the capital punishment.