Department of Religious and Developmental Studies

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A Biblical Reflection on the Morality of Capital Punishment in Contemporary Nigerian Society
(Nigerian Association for the Study of Religions (NASR), 2017-07-25) Okunoye, Job Oluremi
In the recent times, the rate of kidnapping in Nigeria has made some state governors, the national assembly and eminent Nigerians to agitate for capital punishment or death penalty for the kidnappers. Capital Punishment as suggested and stipulated in the Nigeria constitution is not limited to kidnapping but to other criminal offences such as armed robbery, murder, terrorism-related offenses and so on. It is to allow justice to take its proper course and serve as deterrence to others. Indeed, justice in all levels is the outcry of all and sundry in this nation but how is the capital punishment viewed within Christianity? What does the Bible teach about capital punishment? Does capital punishment play any constructive role in our criminal justice system? Can we justify the abolition/continuation of capital punishment in contemporary Nigerian society using the Bible as a foundation? What are the pros and cons of capital punishment? These and many other questions are answered in this research paper using historical-critical hermeneutical approach. Findings reveal that the execution of criminals by the state is not prohibited in the Bible but it must be executed carefully, prudently and sparingly because it is not something that Christians should exult.