Bar Beach on Victoria Island, Lagos, was once a place of leisure. Families gathered on weekends for picnics, and white-garment churches held open-air services along its sandy stretch. That identity changed dramatically in 1971, when the beach became infamous as Nigeria’s foremost site of public executions.
Throughout the 1970s, Bar Beach became associated with the firing-squad killings of convicted armed robbers. Military governments defended the practice as a deterrent, while critics denounced it as barbaric. The sight of thousands of spectators watching convicts tied to wooden stakes transformed a recreational space into a theatre of state violence.
From Leisure Spot to Execution Ground.
In the 1960s, Lagos was Nigeria’s capital and its most cosmopolitan city. Bar Beach symbolised openness and recreation, a place accessible to everyone in a rapidly urbanising metropolis.
The Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970) changed this picture. After the conflict, weapons filtered into civilian society, and unemployment created fertile ground for violent crime. Armed robbery became a pressing national issue, alarming citizens and government alike.
In 1971, General Yakubu Gowon’s military regime introduced public executions for armed robbery. Bar Beach, capable of hosting large crowds and highly visible in the capital, was chosen as the venue.
The First Executions.
The first highly publicised execution at Bar Beach was that of Dr Ishola Oyenusi, labelled by the press as the “Doctor of Rob and Kill.” On 8 September 1971, he was executed by firing squad before a vast crowd. Newspapers portrayed him as the embodiment of post-war lawlessness, and his death was greeted by many with relief.
Shortly afterwards, another notorious robber, Babatunde Folorunsho, was executed at the same site. These early cases set the precedent: the beach, once associated with leisure, was turned into a stage where authority was reinforced through public death.
Execution as Public Spectacle.
The executions soon took on a ritualised form. Convicts were tied to wooden stakes, and soldiers carried out the sentences before huge audiences. Estimates placed crowds in the tens of thousands.
Reports confirm that Oyenusi’s execution was filmed and later shown in cinemas and newsreels. Some later executions were also covered in television news reports, but claims of full nationwide live broadcasts are overstated.
The atmosphere often resembled a carnival. Street vendors were present, selling food and drinks, and many families, including children, attended. While contemporary accounts describe an almost festive mood, later embellishments about “souvenirs” are not strongly supported by evidence.
Public and Religious Reactions.
Public opinion was divided. For many Nigerians, the executions were necessary to confront rampant armed robbery. Crowds who attended frequently supported the practice, seeing it as swift justice.
Others, however, condemned the spectacle. The Catholic Church, among other religious bodies, argued that public killings contradicted Christian values of forgiveness. Human rights activists denounced the events as degrading and excessive.
International observers also criticised the practice. Amnesty International and other groups highlighted the Bar Beach executions as evidence of Nigeria’s authoritarian justice system. Such criticism tarnished the country’s reputation abroad during the 1970s.
Did Executions Deter Crime?
The central question was whether public executions achieved their intended purpose. They undoubtedly instilled fear, but armed robbery persisted. Nigeria lacked comprehensive crime statistics at the time, but both newspaper reports and later criminological research suggested that violent crime remained widespread.
Scholars argued that the government’s reliance on public spectacle distracted from deeper reforms. Improvements in policing, judicial processes, and social welfare were largely neglected. Poverty, unemployment, and corruption continued to fuel insecurity. Thus, while executions created fear, they did not address the roots of crime.
The Decline of Public Executions.
Bar Beach executions peaked in the 1970s. By the early to mid-1980s, however, the practice declined. International condemnation had intensified, and Nigeria’s gradual move towards civilian rule reduced the appeal of highly visible spectacles of death.
By the late 1980s, executions were no longer carried out at Bar Beach. Capital punishment remained legal and continued to be enforced within prisons, but the era of mass public gatherings on the shoreline came to an end.
Transformation of Bar Beach.
The physical landscape of Bar Beach also underwent profound change. Years of coastal erosion reduced parts of the shoreline, while large-scale urban development projects reshaped the area. Eventually, the Eko Atlantic City project reclaimed land where the executions had once taken place. Though the physical traces disappeared, the memory of Bar Beach as an execution ground remains etched in Nigeria’s collective history.
Legacy and Contemporary Relevance.
The legacy of Bar Beach executions is complex. On one hand, they symbolised a period when the Nigerian state relied on public violence to assert control. On the other, they exposed the dangers of reducing justice to spectacle.
Today, debates about the death penalty in Nigeria often recall the Bar Beach era. Firing squads on public beaches have ended, but the question of whether executions deter crime remains unresolved. Faced with modern challenges such as terrorism and kidnapping, the lesson of Bar Beach endures: genuine security depends on reform, not spectacle.
Author’s Note.
The story of Bar Beach executions illustrates the uneasy balance between justice and theatre. Military regimes of the 1970s believed firing squads at a public beach would deter crime. Instead, the practice generated fear without solving deeper social problems. The transformation of Bar Beach into Eko Atlantic City symbolises progress, yet the memory of its past reminds Nigerians that enduring security is rooted in systemic reform, not public displays of death.
References:
Siollun, M. (2009). Oil, Politics and Violence: Nigeria’s Military Coup Culture (1966–1976). Algora Publishing.
Osumah, O. (2013). “Public Executions and Armed Robbery in Nigeria: 1970–1980.” African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies, Vol. 7, No. 1.
Amnesty International. (1983). Nigeria: Death Penalty and Public Executions. London.
