Amnesty International has called on the Nigerian Government to halt the planned execution of two prison inmates in Edo state whose death warrants were signed by Governor Adams Oshiomhole a few weeks ago pending outcome of their appeals.

According to monitored news from Daily Trust Newspapers a Nigeria daily, the organization said in a statement that information it has received showed that neither the convicted prisoners nor their families have been informed of the planned date of execution and that the duo could be executed as soon as today.

Amnesty International’s Deputy Programme Director for Africa, Lucy Freeman said “The Nigerian authorities must immediately halt any plans to execute the two prisoners on death row in Benin City prison. The inmates are party to an ongoing appeal and the judicial process must be respected. To go ahead with any execution of prisoners when their death sentence is still being challenged in the courts is a flagrant violation of human rights.

“Refusing to provide convicted persons and family members advance notice of the date and time of execution is a clear violation of human rights. It is cruel, inhuman and degrading. Amnesty International repeats that to execute detainees purely as a method of controlling ‘unmanageable’ inmates is arbitrary and a totally unacceptable violation of their right to life”

The statement said Prison wardens at Benin City prison were seen preparing gallows for the executions between Sunday night and Monday morning.

In a cruel twist, other inmates not on death row were made to wash the gallows this morning, the statement said.

Oshiomhole signed the execution warrants after prison authorities informed him that the death row inmates in Benin City prison were ‘becoming unmanageable.’