Death penalty: “We have a right to define what we regard as our national values” – Oshiomhole

by Rachel Ogbu

Reacting to human rights activists and campaigners on the issue of the death penalty, Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has insisted that he would apply fully the Nigerian constitution, which he subscribed to, new reports say.

In Abuja at a seminar on the Role of the Public Complaints Commission in a Democratic Government in Nigeria, Oshiomhole said he did not answer to the laws of  European nations or foreign activists, especially those who are not conversant with the Nigerian constitution and the international community cannot dictate to Nigeria on which value it should stand by.

[READ: No going back: Death row prisoner to be executed by firing squad in Edo ]

According to reports, he also said there was so much hypocrisy by the international community on the issue of human rights.

“Nigeria is a sovereign country, we have a right to define what we regard as our national values. No national interest is defined by others,” he reportedly said.