The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has called on the Nigerian House of Representatives to reject the proposed death penalty bill for drug offenders.
This appeal follows the Senate’s approval of the bill, which now requires concurrence from the House before being presented to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
UNODC Representative in Nigeria, Oliver Stolpe, voiced the organization’s strong opposition during the 2024 Media Personnel Training on Anti-corruption, Police Accountability, Wildlife Crime, and Sensitisation on Drugs and Drug Prevention, Treatment, and Care held in Abuja.
The training event was co-organized by the UNODC and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to enhance journalists’ reporting on drug-related crimes and rehabilitation efforts.
Stolpe emphasized the UN’s categorical opposition to the death penalty, citing both principle and practicality. “Our stance at the UN is clear on the death penalty, we’re principally and categorically against it. And from a very practical viewpoint, I have to say, it doesn’t make sense,” Stolpe stated.
The Senate’s bill proposes the death penalty for those dealing in and importing hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin, as well as for manufacturers and traffickers.
Despite the Senate’s approval, the House of Representatives has expressed its intention to support the death penalty for hard drug dealers and peddlers once the bill reaches their chamber for concurrence.
