When will King be hanged? By Femi Macualay

No doubt, Rev. Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, better known as Rev. King, will die many times before his death. Indeed, he has died many times before his death. But when will he really be dead?

In other words, when will the quirky General Overseer of the Lagos-based Christian Praying Assembly die by hanging following the Supreme Court’s February 26 endorsement of his death sentence? The fundamental question is: How long should a convict on death row wait for death?

It is clear that the purpose of a death sentence is to facilitate death by execution. It is counter-productive to have a condemned convict wait indefinitely for the execution of a death sentence, particularly because of the possibility that death may come during the waiting and consequently achieve what the sentence didn’t intend, which is death by causes other than execution. In a case where the condemned does not die as a result of execution, it would mean that the death sentence was foiled. What is the purpose of a death sentence that is not put into effect, with the effect that death results from execution?

It is food for thought that a report said “Barely 24 hours after the Supreme Court affirmed the death sentence…some of his neighbours have asked for his immediate execution”. The report continued: “The landlords appealed to the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, to sign Rev. King’s death warrant to hasten the process.  A next-door landlord in Ajao Estate where the church is based applauded the Supreme Court for the judgement, saying he expected it.  The landlord, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “Now, we need the governor to quickly sign the papers… Another landlord, who asked not to be named for security reasons, said he wants Ambode to sign the death warrant as soon as possible. “I hope the governor will not be afraid of signing it. He should do it on time. We are waiting for what will happen next after this.” These reactions are sufficient to show that King’s neighbour’s didn’t see him as a good neighbour. It remains to be seen whether the Lagos State Governor will give the green light or decide to commute the death sentence to imprisonment.

So, members of the public are eagerly awaiting King’s execution, just as King is awaiting his execution, although understandably not with eagerness.    Considering that it took nearly a decade to arrive at what may be described as a point of no return, it is apt to wonder whether the execution of the death sentence validated by the final rung of the justice hierarchy could also take that long.

King’s trial began at the Lagos High Court in Ikeja on September 26, 2006. The cruel cleric was accused of the murder of a member of his church, Ann Uzoh, and attempted murder of five other members. He was said to have set the deceased and the others ablaze after bathing them with petrol for alleged immoral behaviour.  Thomas Hardy says: “Do not do an immoral thing for moral reasons.”

Uzoh’s death on August 2, 2006, 11 days after the savagery, resulted from her burns.  The trial judge, Justice Olubunmi Oyewole (now a Justice of the Court of Appeal),  who delivered his judgement  on January 11, 2007,  found King guilty and sentenced him to 20 years imprisonment for attempted murder. In addition, King got a death sentence for murder. The Court of Appeal backed the death sentence. The Supreme Court, by its supreme judgement, supported the supreme sentence of death by hanging.

Murderers are penalised not only for murder; they are also penalised so that others may not become murderers. It is thought-provoking that a report said: “During the first church service after the Supreme Court verdict at the Lagos headquarters at Ajao Estate, Pastor Ifeanyi King, who preached, said: “Our G. O. (General Overseer), the Most Holiness, Rev. King, is coming back. He said he would come back and we believe the words of his mouth. We believe his report that he is coming back. Everything happening now we know is the handiwork of witches and wizards. Soon a new story will emerge.”

How and when did witches and wizards enter the picture? What is the meaning of this metaphysical reasoning? Does the supernatural argument apply to King’s murderous act as well as his death sentence? Of course, if there are no complications, a new story is expected to emerge. But the expected fresh story should be that King has been hanged and he is dead. Or what “new story” did the preacher have in mind?

It is important to bring closure to this human drama of inhumanity. The longer Rev. King is allowed to live after the final judicial decision, the longer it will take to close the murder case.

Curiously, King may live longer than his death sentence intended because, according to a report quoting Prisons spokesman Francis Emordi, there are no fewer than 1,639 inmates awaiting execution. This death-row congestion is inexcusable. As long as the death penalty is accommodated by the country’s justice system, there is no justification for keeping condemned convicts waiting. It is unclear how long these death-row convicts have been waiting, and it amounts to contempt for the authorities to perpetuate their wait.

Philosophical arguments against capital punishment, which tend to suggest that mankind has perhaps evolved beyond the death sentence, sound too kind to the unkind. Where guilt has been unambiguously established and it has attracted a death sentence, there is ambiguity if execution of the judgement is unduly prolonged.

Although the long duration of a murder trial and the extension of the appeal process may not guarantee an infallible judgement, an interminable wait on death row would not necessarily reverse a flawed ruling. It is complex enough to arrive at a death decision, and the complexity should not be further complicated by last-minute indecision when it comes to executing the decision. If judges are able to reach a death decision without the interference of extra-judicial considerations, the authorities should be able to carry out the decision without the hindrance of extra-legal thoughts.

The debate about the death penalty for murder did not begin today. The debate will continue as long the society is unable to conceive a different punishment for murder that will capture the gravity of the crime. Murder is the ultimate crime and death is the ultimate punishment. Ultimate crime deserves ultimate punishment.