Mixed reactions trail hanging of 4 persons in Edo

Some clerics, on Thursday, expressed divergent views on the hanging of four persons on death row in Edo State.
They expressed the views in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
Monsignor Gabriel Osu, the Director of Communication, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, condemned the execution, while an Islamic cleric and a traditionalist said it was a welcome development.
NAN recalls that President Goodluck Jonathan had recently directed state governors to sign the execution warrant of condemned criminals on death row in various prisons in the country.
NAN also reported that the execution of four condemned criminals had elicited condemnation from the Amnesty International.
The international human rights group, in a statement, called for restraint on the part of the Nigerian government in carrying out the exercise.
Mr Henry Idahagbon, the Edo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, while confirming the execution, said their convictions were secured years ago from the Supreme Court.
Reacting, Osu said that life was sacrosanct and should be treated as such, adding that mitigating such sentence would allow for change and reformation.
“Capital punishment, such as hanging or killing is not the solution. You don’t kill people, you are not the owners of life, life is sacred, life belongs to God; capital punishment only widens the circle of violence.
“If you mitigate such sentence to long imprisonment, he can still change; he can still add value to the society. My opinion and that of the church is very clear,” he said.
Also, an Islamic cleric, Imam Mustapha Adebello, lecturer in Islamic Studies, Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, said that such punishment was relevant to serve as deterrent to others.
``The Islamic view on capital punishment is clear; Islam recommends capital punishment for people who commit heinous crimes such as murder.
“That is, a life for a life and Islam sees it as a means of serving as deterrent to others who may also want to take up arms against other people;  so Islam allows capital punishment.”
Mr Lekan Ajirotutu, spokesperson of Association of African Traditional Religion of Nigeria (AATREN), said the action was in order, adding that “a soul must be taken in return for another soul.
“Traditionally, it is right, we believe anybody that takes a soul, a soul must be taken in return, no soul is important than the other and that is the traditional belief,” he declared.
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