Nigerian Man Sentenced To Death Via Zoom App, Rights Groups Call The Ruling ‘Inhumane’

A man in Lagos, Nigeria, was sentenced to death via the popular video calling application Zoom and rights groups condemned the ruling for its inhuman nature.

Olalekan Hameed, who stood accused of murdering his mother’s employer in 2018, appeared in the nation’s first-ever virtual court hearing Monday, where he was sentenced to death by hanging. Human Rights Watch, an international non-profit, described the whole process as "inherently cruel and inhumane," BBC reported.

Hameed, who is at Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison, was joined by his lawyer and prosecutor remotely during the court procedure. The judge, Mojisola Dada, held the virtual session from Lagos High Court in Ikeja in compliance with the state’s social distancing guidelines to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Hameed had pleaded not guilty to murdering 76-year-old Jolasun Okunsanya.

Osai Ojigho, Amnesty International Nigeria Director, said the hearing could well be postponed.

"We know many courts are exploring how they can continue cases virtually, but the challenge is how much thought has been given to the process for virtual court sittings," he told CNN. "In this case, could this sentencing not be delayed to another time?" He further questioned whether it was a fair hearing or justice was seemed to have been done in the case.

"The sentence of this court upon you, Olalekan Hameed, is that you be hanged by the neck until you be pronounced dead, and may the Lord have mercy upon your soul. This is the virtual judgment of the court," Justice Dada said.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Hameed will appeal against the sentence.

Nearly 3,000 people are reportedly on death row in Nigeria, and Ojigho said Amnesty International was calling for the death penalty to be expunged in the country. State Governments in Nigeria have to authorize the executions before they are carried out, but Ojigho said some disregarded the rule in recent years.

"No one wants to be held [accountable] for ending someone's life, from the pattern we see. If the government has an internal struggle and is hesitant to sign death warrants, why don't we take it off the books?" Ojigho said.

The video calling app Zoom’s popularity has skyrocketed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.