By Nudoiba Ojen
Ogun State Government has lamented the upsurge of criminal activities like ritual killings, kidnapping, cultism and other heinous crimes in recent times in the state.
The State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Oluwasina Ogungbade (SAN), said that that the state was 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 AG, who spoke after inspection of inmates and facilities at the Correctional Centre, Ibara, Abeokuta with a view to ensuring that all was well with the inmates and as well the centre.
He said, “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”.
He said, “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 blamed increase in crime on collapse of value system, saying, “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”.
