Why Lagos Govt Can't Execute Rev King - Femi Falana

Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has said that the Lagos State government cannot execute the General Overse­er of the Christian Praying Assem­bly, Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, aka Rev. King and others on death row.
Falana, who asked Governor Ambode to commute the death penalties passed on the death row inmates in the state to life imprison­ment, argued in a letter dated April 19, 2017, and addressed to Gover­nor Ambode, that the planned exe­cution of death row inmates in the state would violate a subsisting judge­ment delivered in 2012 by the High Court of Lagos State which ruled that it was illegal and unconstitutional to execute the condemned inmates.

He reminded the governor that the judgement of the court of the state had held that to hang or sub­ject the death row inmates to firing squad would lead to the violation of their fundamental right to freedom from torture guaranteed by the Con­stitution.
The judgement was said to have been delivered by Justice Mufutau Olokooba of the Lagos State High Court on June 29, 2012.
The Lagos lawyer advised the state government to explore the only available option of commuting the death penalty passed on the in­mates to life imprisonment.
Falana stated: “On the basis of the valid and subsisting judgement of the Lagos High Court on the ille­gality of the execution of the death penalty in Lagos State we urge Your Excellency not to sign a death war­rant authorising the killing of any condemned prisoner either by hang­ing, firing squad or any other means whatsoever.