In the mid 1980s, Nigeria’s military government took a dramatic turn in its approach to crime and punishment. Under the Federal Military Government led by Muhammadu Buhari, the state introduced Special Tribunal (Miscellaneous Offences) Decree No. 20 of 1984, commonly known as Decree 20. The law expanded penalties for a range of serious offences and introduced the death penalty for drug trafficking in defined circumstances.
Decree 20 emerged during a period of strict military governance marked by wide-ranging crackdowns on corruption, economic crimes, and conduct viewed as threatening national discipline. The decree did not operate within Nigeria’s ordinary court system. Instead, it created a special legal structure that treated designated offences as exceptional crimes requiring exceptional punishment.
What Decree 20 Criminalised
Decree 20 addressed several categories of misconduct, but its most controversial provisions concerned hard drugs, particularly cocaine and heroin.
The law criminalised possession, use, importation, exportation, and trafficking. However, the death penalty applied to trafficking and dealing offences, not to personal consumption on its own. Capital punishment was reserved for cases treated as serious commercial drug offences, especially those involving cross-border movement and distribution.
This framework reflected the military government’s view that trafficking constituted economic sabotage rather than ordinary criminal behaviour.
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Special Tribunals and Accelerated Justice
Cases under Decree 20 were tried before Special Military Tribunals, which operated outside Nigeria’s civilian judiciary. These tribunals combined investigative, judicial, and sentencing authority within a compressed legal process.
Once a tribunal reached a verdict, sentences were forwarded through the military governance structure for confirmation. Ordinary appeal mechanisms were limited, and decisions moved quickly from conviction to enforcement. Supporters of the system viewed it as efficient and decisive. Critics viewed it as harsh, inflexible, and heavily weighted toward punishment rather than review.
April 1985, Executions at Kirikiri Prison
On 10 April 1985, three Nigerian men were executed by firing squad at Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison in Lagos after being convicted under the military era legal framework.
The men were:
- Bartholomew Azubike Owoh
- Lawal Akanni Ojuolape
- Bernard Ogedengbe
They were convicted of offences involving hard drugs linked to international travel routes. Reports at the time connected the cases to heroin and cocaine brought into Nigeria from overseas locations. After confirmation by the military authorities, the executions were carried out by firing squad within the prison compound.
The event marked one of the most striking applications of capital punishment for drug offences in Nigeria’s history.
Questions of Timing and Punishment
The Kirikiri executions quickly became controversial beyond the issue of drugs themselves. Public discussion focused on whether all aspects of the offences occurred after Decree 20 came into force. In particular, attention centred on whether earlier police actions, including bail events, predated the decree.
These questions turned the case into a broader debate about punishment, legality, and fairness under military rule. The issue of timing became inseparable from how the executions were remembered and discussed in later years.
Public Reaction and National Memory
Reactions to the executions were mixed. Some Nigerians viewed them as a necessary show of force against trafficking and a warning to others. Others saw them as excessive, irreversible, and deeply unsettling.
Over time, the executions became a reference point in Nigeria’s collective memory. They were cited both as evidence of the military government’s toughness and as an example of the risks of concentrating legal power within a closed system.
Later Stories and Public Rumours
In the years that followed, stories circulated suggesting that other individuals, including women, were executed under Decree 20. One name that appeared repeatedly in such accounts was “Gladys Iyamah.”
These stories never displaced the central place of the April 1985 executions in public memory. The Kirikiri executions remained the defining episode associated with Decree 20, shaping how the law itself was understood.
From Decree 20 to the NDLEA
By the late 1980s, Nigeria’s drug enforcement strategy shifted toward a more institutional approach. In 1989, the government established the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, creating a specialised body responsible for investigation, interdiction, and coordination of drug control efforts.
This change marked a move away from execution-based deterrence toward structured enforcement and long-term custodial penalties. Airports, seaports, and border points became central sites of enforcement, and drug control became associated with agency operations rather than firing squads.
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Why Decree 20 Still Resonates
Decades later, Decree 20 continues to shape discussions about punishment, deterrence, and justice in Nigeria. Legislative debates in 2024 showed that proposals to reintroduce the death penalty for drug trafficking still surface during periods of heightened concern about narcotics.
Whether such proposals succeed or fail, the memory of April 1985 remains central. The executions at Kirikiri continue to influence how Nigerians think about the limits of punishment and the power of the state during moments of crisis.
Author’s Note
Decree 20 and the Kirikiri executions reveal how deeply criminal law reflects the values of its moment. The military government chose fear and finality as tools of control, and the consequences were permanent. Nigeria’s later shift toward institutional enforcement suggests that strength in law is not only about severity, but about balance, process, and public confidence. The story endures because it asks a question every society must answer, how far should the state go in the name of deterrence.
References
United Press International, “Three Nigerians executed,” April 10, 1985.
Special Tribunal (Miscellaneous Offences) Decree No. 20 of 1984, Nigeria.
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency enabling law, Decree No. 48 of 1989.
Reuters, “Nigeria’s Senate proposes death penalty for drug trafficking,” May 9, 2024.
