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Dateline: Nigeria

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Death Penalty Stays Says Minister

Death penalty would not be abolished in Nigeriaas "we cannot do without capital punishment, the minister of Internal Affairs has said.

Amidst protests from parts of the country, there has been a sustained campaign from sections of the international community urging government to outlaw the capital punishment. But Minister of State for Internal Affairs, Alhaji Abubakar Tanko, told reporters in Kaduna on Tuesday that death penalty remains because it remained the right resort in many demands for appropriate penlty for willful crimes.

According to him, any person who commits a capital offence should pay for it, arguing that it could be more dangerous to allow such a person to continue to live in society.

He noted however that the judiciary must confirm beyond all reasonable doubts that a person convicted in a case of capital offence is seen to be actually guilty. If this is the case, the minister said, "there is no reason why he should not be killed."