Uduak Akpan must exhaust all appeals before execution, says Uko Udom; cites governors’ reluctance to sign death warrants
Akwa Ibom State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Udom, SAN, has explained why Uduak Akpan, the man convicted of murdering Iniubong Umoren, has not been executed despite being sentenced to death.
Speaking on Thursday at the Government House in Uyo during an inter-ministerial briefing, Udom said Akpan had not exhausted the required appeal processes and was therefore not yet eligible for execution.
He explained that a person sentenced to death by a High Court must first appeal the conviction at the Court of Appeal. If the conviction is upheld, the case must proceed to the Supreme Court before an execution can take place.
According to him, the state provides legal representation for convicted persons who cannot afford a lawyer to pursue their appeals.
Udom also identified other challenges affecting the execution of death sentences in Nigeria, including the shortage of executioners, the difficulty of maintaining execution facilities and the reluctance of some state governors to sign execution warrants, sometimes for religious reasons.
He noted that many inmates who have exhausted their appeals remain on death row, while the facilities and personnel required to carry out executions are no longer readily available in some locations.
The Attorney General further explained that Nigeria’s existing law prescribes hanging as the method of execution, making it difficult to introduce other methods without changes to the law.
He said the state government was exploring ways to address the legal challenges, including possible amendments that could introduce alternative methods of execution.
Udom made the clarification amid renewed public questions about why Akpan remains in custody following his conviction for the 2020 murder of Iniubong Umoren.
