Germany commends Nigeria for nearly a decade without executions

The German Embassy in Nigeria has welcomed the country’s approaching decade without an execution, as it marked World Day Against the Death Penalty with a call for reflection on justice, human dignity and the right to life.

The event was organised with Avocats Sans Frontières France, the Australian High Commission and the Spanish Embassy, Peoples Gazette reports, citing the News Agency of Nigeria.

German Ambassador Stefan Rössel noted that Nigeria’s last execution was in December 2016. “This will make the country a so-called de facto abolitionist state,” he said.

He added that the death penalty remains in Nigerian law, but welcomed the milestone on behalf of his government.

“Germany opposes the death penalty unconditionally and working toward its permanent abolition is a pillar of our human rights policy. We believe that the right to life as laid out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights must not be denied by law,” he said.

Rössel linked the stance to Germany’s history, noting that more than 33,000 people were sentenced to death and executed under the Nazi dictatorship.