While there are a number of people, particularly human rights advocates, happy that Ghana’s Parliament has repealed the Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill 2022, the Member of Parliament for Jirapa, has said he is unhappy about the decision.

According to the MP, Cletus Seidu Dapilah, his displeasure with the passing of the Bill is because while it existed, it served as a deterrence to people.

He added that while no president under the Fourth Republic of Ghana has ever signed for an execution of anyone on the death row, the right thing was to have compelled such Heads of State to do their jobs, a report by 3news.com has said.

He added the beside that, while the law was in the statutes, it was not costing the nation anything.

“I’m not happy. It should have remained and the reason for the proponents of the abolishing of the death penalty is that no president since the Fourth Republic has signed for anyone to be executed and that is why we should have stood up to any president that, if you know you can’t do your work which you have sworn an oath and if somebody is being sentenced by death, you are supposed to sign and must sign.

“I can tell you that the law being on our books does not cost anything. I can tell you it deters people and now we have lost that deterrence and we shouldn’t be surprised we see people killing others anyhow knowing that they will be in prison for life and the government will feed me,” he explained.

On Tuesday, July 25, 2023, parliament officially repealed the death penalty from Ghana’s statute books, as part of its approval of an amendment to the Criminal and Other Offences Act.

The Bill was sponsored by the Member of Parliament for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu.

The president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is however yet to append his signature to Bill to make it a law.

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