Anyone who takes up arms against the state, no matter what their grievances are, and proceeds to kill not just ordinary and unarmed citizens but service men and security forces has lost all rights to legislative leniency and judicial clemency.
The rot, dysfunction, and perversion that pervade Nigeria and cling to the fabric of its society like a snail to its shell can be attributed mainly to two factors: a lack of consequences for actions and a lack of political will to do the right thing. This position is largely held by the preponderance of the nation’s conscientious, discerning, and right-thinking citizens. And at every turn in the checkered history of the country, those to whom the management of the nation’s resources and affairs has been entrusted have gone to a great extent to prove this assertion true.
Last week, while appearing before the Senate on Thursday, December 18, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) expressed strong opposition to a law imposing a death penalty without the option of a fine for terrorism and kidnapping offences. He claimed such legislation could throw a wrench in the relationship of Nigeria with other nations, as it would be seen as a human rights violation. Of course, one cannot be too surprised by the position the federal government has taken on the matter of imposing the death penalty on terrorists and kidnappers.
For a government that has leaned more towards the appeasement and pacification of depraved and criminal elements like bandits, terrorists and kidnappers, who turn the country into one giant enclave of uncertainty, instability and organised crimes, it is perfectly on brand for it to antagonise any conscious, deliberate and decisive action aimed at putting an end to the menace of those for whom the destruction of Nigerians lives and properties, and spilling of blood of innocent compatriots have become national pastime.
The reason cited by the AGF for not being on board with the death penalty imposition is as unsettling as the opposition to the legislation itself. For one, the AGF, whether knowingly or unknowingly, appears to be suggesting that Nigeria’s efforts and drive to end its perennial insecurity and restore public confidence and trust in its national security architecture are dependent on the approval of external forces and extraneous factors. The implication of this is that the Nigerian state cannot unilaterally take actions and decisions that are in the interest of its people and advance its cause and growth economically, socially and militarily without checking in with certain foreign forces. This kind of stance by the AGF, albeit unofficial, strikes at the core of our sovereignty and raises questions about the capacity of those in power now to protect and safeguard it.
It is also at best disingenuous and at worst dishonest to say that the death penalty for those who have engaged in unspeakable atrocities and horrific crimes will leave Nigeria ostracised. Many countries around the world have imposed the death penalty on crimes that are not anywhere as heinous, grotesque and barbaric as the ones these agents of terror within our shores have committed and are still committing. To further put things in context and perspective, in 2025 alone, the Saudi Arabian government executed 340 persons, which is the highest number of executions recorded in a year in the oil-rich Middle East nation. Last year, 338 executions took place in the country. Of the 340 executed this year, 232 were convicted in drug-related cases, accounting for more than two-thirds of the total executions. The surge in executions for drug offences has been a major driver of the overall increase, reflecting a similar trend observed last year.
The Saudi Arabian government considered those executed as a threat to the peace and stability of the country, a vicious thorn that could tear apart their social fabric if not quickly chopped down and nipped in the bud. They did what they had to do to maintain their socio-economic stability regardless of what the outside world thinks of the method they chose. Moreover, the Saudis have not suffered any setback or strain in their relations with other countries, especially those in the West. No country has severed diplomatic ties with them, no nation has cut off trade relations with them and not a single economic sanction has been imposed on them.
However, our AGF wants us to believe that handing terrorists and kidnappers the comeuppance they deserve, which is death, will strain our relationship with certain foreign interests who are far removed from the atrocities of those the AGF is now implicitly sympathetic to. The AGF thinks bringing those who have unleashed terror against Nigerians, those who have killed, pillaged and plundered, turned Nigeria into a nation synonymous with terror, deaths and upheaval, to face the punishment they deserve is not as important as massaging the egos of foreign elements. He believes that executing terrorists will only hurt the feelings of international partners who would not lift a finger to protect Nigerians who are at the mercy of these terrorists but will suddenly find their voice when the government takes extreme and decisive steps to end their menace.
Besides, the claim by the AGF that the execution of terrorists somehow “inadvertently facilitates the ‘martyrdom’ trap,” and that it will only amount to “validation of their cause,” is as lame and simplistic as it is disturbingly dishonest and dangerously cunning. Anyone who takes up arms against the state, no matter what their grievances are, and proceeds to kill not just ordinary and unarmed citizens but service men and security forces has lost all rights to legislative leniency and judicial clemency.
Finally, the subtle attempt by the AGF to canonise these terrorists and frame whatever it is they are fighting for as worthy and noble is troubling. What motivates and drives these terrorists is not the by-product or centrepiece of lofty ideas or grand agendas that can positively shape our nation and people and bring about far-reaching changes that will usher in massive human and infrastructural development. If anything, the cause and ideology of these terrorists, the AGF is now unabashedly holding brief for, is destructive and incompatible with modern civilisation. The federal government does not cover itself in glory with its opposition to the death penalty for kidnappers and terrorists. Its position on the matter only serves to fuel the disconcerting narrative that the government is not serious about ending insecurity, especially terrorism in the country and that, according to voices in some quarters, it has, whether wittingly or unwittingly, contributed to its spread through its questionable actions and inactions.
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