The Ogun State Government has said that it is considering signing the Death Warrants of condemned criminals sentenced by competent courts to serve as a deterrent to those who may want to commit heinous crimes in the state.
The State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Oluwasina Ogungbade (SAN), disclosed this on Friday after inspecting inmates and facilities at the Correctional Centre, Ibara, Abeokuta.
The Attorney General, who was conducted around by officers of the Centre, expressed concern over the increase in criminal activities like ritual killings, kidnapping, cultism, and other heinous crimes in recent times in the state.
According to Mr. Ogungbade, the state government is ready to take the bull by the horns by implementing the law through signing the Death Warrants.
He observed that despite the proactive measures put in place by security agencies in tackling crimes, there appears to be an upsurge, particularly in ritual killings, adding that the government had identified the wrong perception that there would be no repercussions when some of these crimes are committed as the root cause.
“I can tell you that we are looking seriously at a means of sending a message that Ogun State is not a place where you can come and commit such serious crimes and get away with it.
“The law as of today, for example, states that a murder case attracts the death penalty and some other offenses. But if you look at it nationally, for a long time, there has been reluctance on the part of governments across the states, particularly since the advent of democratic rule, to sign Death Warrants. But I assure you that at this time, we are looking very seriously at following the law to its letter.
“It is part of the duty of the governor to sign Death Warrants, and I am certain that when he took that oath of office, he took it knowing full well the responsibilities that come with it. He is a governor who upholds the rule of law, so I can assure you that in deserving cases, he will not shy away from that constitutional duty.
“Though I may not give a timeline, I can only say that in deserving cases, which we are looking at, it will happen.
“If somebody has gone through the process of a fair trial and has made use of all his appeals, we will begin to look seriously at implementing those judgments, hoping that it will serve as a deterrent to those who still intend to carry out such crimes. But in doing so, I can assure you that we will be systematic about it; we will not be reckless about it,” he assured.
He said the present administration has done a lot in terms of granting amnesty to those condemned to death by turning their death sentences into life imprisonment, reducing life imprisonment to a fixed term of imprisonment, as well as allowing punishment to serve as a deterrent.
The Commissioner attributed the upsurge in criminal activities to a total loss of value system and the support given to criminals by their relatives, saying this is in variance with the African belief system that abhors criminal behavior and seeks punishment for offenders.
“In times past, when people committed crimes, their family members were usually the ones who would even alert law enforcement. But what we have today is where the family comes together to shield people who have committed crimes. Unless there is a total reappraisal of our value system, we will continue to have this problem. We need to go back to the family,” he added.
The Attorney General said his visit to the Correctional Centre was to see the conditions of the inmates and the facilities, with a view to doing the needful to ensure that the centre worked the way it was designed and that the inmates were not made to go through excruciating suffering.