Osun lawmaker canvasses death penalty for corrupt govt officials

A member of the Osun State House of Assembly, Kanmi Ajibola, has canvassed capital punishment for corrupt government officials.

According to Ajibola, the greatest injustice to the law of God and humanity is to allow thieves of the nation’s wealth to live.

Ajibola, representing Oriade State Constituency in the Assembly, stressed that the only and sincere way to curb the menace of high level of stealing of public funds in Nigeria is to eliminate all culprits.

He made his view known in a five-page letter addressed to the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the Speaker of House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.

The letter was also forwarded to the Attorney-General of the Federation, Attorney-General of Osun State and the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun.

In the letter dated March 15, 2024 titled, ‘You can be the Moses and Musa of the present Nigerian generation’, the lawmaker held that there was compelling need to stop and control corruption by capital punishment in Nigeria.

Citing Section 4(1) and (3) of the Constitution, he said it is in the purview of the National Assembly to make laws that should help to halt corrupt practices in the country.

“Few countries including China, Indonesia and Thailand have introduced capital punishment in their laws. Today these nations are now experiencing economic peace, security and rapid developments.

“The anti corruption Laws and Acts in their present existing forms in Nigeria are not result oriented.”

He lamented that the London Chatham House in its estimation said from October 1960 to October 2019, Nigerian leaders, public officers and civil servants stole about $582 billion, while the Human Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) reported that the country lost N1.6 trillion and $825.7 million to corrupt officials between 1999 and 2022.

He noted that if the stolen funds had been injected into the capital projects and infrastructural development, the nation would not be facing social vices such as kidnapping, unemployment, abject poverty and insecurity, among others.

“I think the greatest injustice to the law of God and humanity is to let live, the corrupt people whose acts are directly or indirectly killing the innocent Nigerians by the ultimate effect of their ungodly and illegal actions.

“As a human rights activist, I should not be thinking of a capital punishment to curb or drastically minimize corruption in Nigeria, but for the fact that, the acts of the few leaders that are corrupt are leading to the death of their innocent subjects. I think, this is the only way and the hard way.

“It is an axiomatic fact, that, if this stealing spree continually persists unchecked, the country will ultimately end up in an untimely grave.

“To prevent the sudden and untimely death of Nigeria, the 1999 constitution has empowered the National Assembly with this responsibility to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the federation.

“At this very moment, before corruption kills Nigeria, it is desirable that Nigeria Moves faster to kill corruption.

“Due to the non-availability of effective laws to checkmate corruption the way it should be properly checked, there are loss of peace, order, good governance and good government in the federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Within the thirty (30) days of the receipt of this letter, I plead with the National Assembly to perform this public duty to save Nigeria by introducing penalty clause of capital punishment into our Anti-Corruption Laws and Acts.”