EXAMINATION OF ETHICAL, LEGAL, AND SOCIETAL IMPLICATIONS OF DEATH PENALTY IN NIGERIA

This article comprehensively examines the death penalty, its ethical, legal, and societal dimensions, with a focus on Nigeria. Despite its longstanding use as a punitive measure for capital offences, empirical evidence and global trends increasingly challenge its efficacy as a deterrent for achieving retributive justice. While the death penalty retains constitutional legitimacy in Nigeria, its implementation is hindered by systemic inefficiencies, including an unofficial moratorium resulting from executive reluctance to authorise executions. This has led to the indefinite detention of death row inmates, raising significant ethical and human rights concerns, including psychological trauma and violations of international legal standards. By situating the Nigerian experience within a global context of declining support for the death penalty, the article argues for its abolition. It posits that life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, coupled with targeted reforms to address the root causes of crime, offers a more humane and effective alternative.