A former Attorney General of Edo State, Samson Osagie, has called for stronger anti-terrorism legislation, insisting that individuals convicted of terrorism offences should serve their full prison sentences without benefiting from amnesty.
Osagie, speaking with journalists on Sunday, said the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act No. 15 of 2022 was established to provide a legal framework for preventing, investigating, prosecuting, and punishing terrorism-related offences in Nigeria.
He noted that the devastating consequences of terrorism across the country had increased concerns over the possibility of convicted terrorists receiving executive pardon through government interventions.
The former Edo AG argued that the law should be reviewed to prevent terrorists and individuals convicted of terrorism financing from benefiting from presidential clemency or other forms of legal relief while serving their sentences.
He said, “Given the devastating impact of terrorism-related activities across the country, public concerns about the fate of those arrested, prosecuted and convicted in connection with terrorism and terrorism financing activities have heightened.”
Osagie added that relevant sections of the law, including provisions relating to the prerogative of mercy under Section 175 of the Constitution, should be amended to exclude persons convicted of terrorism-related crimes.
According to him, tightening such provisions would strengthen Nigeria’s fight against terrorism and send a clear message to perpetrators.
“The National Assembly should waste no time in carrying out this legislative effort as an urgent step towards combating terrorism and eliminating it from our society,” he said.
Also speaking, a former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Young Lawyers Forum (NBA-YLF), Uwomano Aki, described terrorism as more than a criminal act, saying it threatens the nation’s sovereignty, security and collective existence.
Aki stated that where a court had found an individual guilty after a fair trial and established that the person posed a threat to national security, granting such a person executive clemency would be difficult to justify.
He, however, advised that while the Constitution gives the executive powers to grant mercy, such authority should be exercised with extreme caution in cases involving terrorism.
Similarly, a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, Adaobi Fortune, said any decision on granting amnesty to convicted terrorists must be approached carefully, with national security and public interest taking priority.
She noted that even in situations where international obligations require consideration of pardon, such decisions must be handled cautiously.
Meanwhile, President of the African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA), Amanda Demechi-Asagba, explained that existing laws contain safeguards that make the release of terrorists serving life sentences highly unlikely.
She said concerns among Nigerians over why some terrorists were not sentenced to death were understandable, but explained that life imprisonment under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, means offenders are expected to remain in custody for life unless their conviction is overturned or they receive constitutional pardon.
Demechi-Asagba added that the Nigerian Correctional Service Act also restricts sentence reductions for terrorism-related offences, making it difficult for such inmates to benefit from remission.
She called for further legal reforms, recommending that terrorism convicts should serve at least 30 years before becoming eligible for any consideration of clemency.
Ex-Edo Attorney General Demands Tougher Anti-Terrorism Laws, Rejects Amnesty for Convicts
29
