THE proposed death penalty for drug barons by the Nigerian government which is coming on the heels of the debilitating effects of drug abuse on the people, especially the youths, and its market prevalence in our society is not a new development as the military government in the early 80s came down hard on drug-related offences. Recall that the then-military ruler, Muhammadu Buhari in 1984 signed a decree that made drug trafficking punishable by death.

THE  convicted Enugu drug dealer, Bartholomew Owoh’s case was one of the first to be tried under this law. It is worth noting that Owoh was convicted before the law was passed, but Buhari still applied the same law to him.Despite international pleas for clemency, Owoh and two other drug convicts were executed by firing squad in 1985. Buhari stood his ground and defended the executions, stating that drug trafficking was destroying the country and that the government had to be tough to stop it.

IN  a move  akin to Buhari’s  drug war in the 1980s, the Senate recently passed the third reading of the NDLEA Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024, thereby approving the death sentence as the maximum penalty for drug traffickers in the country when the Senate dissolved into Committee of the Whole  House for a clause-by-clause consideration of a report of its Joint Committees on Judiciary, Human Rights & Legal Matters, and Drug& Narcotics on the bill.The report was earlier laid at plenary by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights & Legal Matters, Tahir Munguno.In a review of the provisions for penalties in the amendment bill towards strengthening the operations of the anti-narcotics agency, a proposed amendment to award a death sentence to drug traffickers rather than just a life sentence was raised by the Senate Chief Whip, which was eventually adopted.

THE Hope views the above development as a welcoming one as it considers with dismay the increasing adverse effects of drugs on youths who are the future of our nation. It is glaringly evident that drugs are as accessible as any food items  now in many spots in our towns and cities.

THE consequences of illicit drug use are widespread, causing permanent physical and emotional damage to users and negatively impacting their families, coworkers, and many others with whom they have contact. Drug use negatively impacts a user’s health, often leading to sickness and disease. In many cases, users die prematurely from drug overdoses or other drug-associated illnesses.

IT is expedient to note that in Nigeria, factors such as poor socioeconomic status, peer-group pressure, family problems, and poor academic performance were commonly associated with drug abuse in Nigeria and it has been a cause of many debilitating conditions such as schizophrenia and psychosis, leading to psychiatric issues. With the proposed death penalty focused on the barons, it is hoped that it will serve as a deterrent for peddlers and users.As added measures to control the preponderant drug abuse, Nigeria needs to control and place restrictions on drugs for their medical use, revisit music, movies, and uncensored skits that encourage dangerous lifestyles among our people. We also urge the nation to look at these issues that predispose people to performance-enhancing drugs.

WHILE  pressing home the signing of the death penalty for drug barons into law, the legislature needs to note that criminals who were convicted of armed robbery and murder and sentenced to death sentence are still languishing in prison years after awaiting execution as many governors are cautious of signing the death warrants of those on death row. They argue that death sentencing is against international best practices and might spark international criticism and censure.

HOWEVER, some nations of the world took a stand and adopted the death penalty in a bid to curb the preponderance of drug abuse in their society. It is noteworthy that drug-related offenses are mandatorily punished by death in Brunei Darussalam, Guyana, Iran, Jordan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Qatar, Singapore, Sudan, Syria and the United Arab Emirates. As of December 2022, Harm Reduction International (HRI) reports that over 3700 people are on death row for drug offences worldwide. For 2022, HRI reports 285 executions by law for drug offences globally in 6 countries: over 252 in Saudi Arabia, and 11 in Singapore. Exact numbers are not possible due to “extreme opacity” in some countries: China, North Korea, and Vietnam.

THE Hope, therefore, notes that extreme cases call for extreme measures and the death penalty for drug barons might be the solution to rescuing our youths from the vicious grip of drugs. We thus call for a conscientious effort on the part of the governed and political will on the part of the government to drive the fight against the ills of drug abuse in our society. We feel that the death penalty for drug barons is one of the keys to sanitizing society of the ills of drug abuse.