The Nigerian Senate proposes the death penalty for drug trafficking
Nigeria's Senate has proposed tougher penalties for drug trafficking, making the death penalty the new maximum sentence through legislative amendments.
The amendment, which has not yet become law, replaces life imprisonment, which was previously the harshest punishment for drug trafficking crimes.
Nigeria, the country with the largest population in Africa estimated at more than 200 million people, has in recent years gone from being a transit point for drugs to becoming a full-fledged producer, user and distributor of the drugs.
Although cannabis is grown in Nigeria, drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine and other narcotics are smuggled across the country to feed the growing problem of drug addiction in the West African country.
Supporters of the death penalty for drug-trafficking criminals say hanging will serve as a greater deterrent to drug traffickers than life in prison.
Lawmakers who opposed the bill have expressed their concerns about the irreversible nature of the death penalty and the possibility of wrongful convictions.
