The Right to Life under the Nigerian Constitution

Life itself is sacrosanct and must be protected. This seems to be the reason why every modern legislation recognizes the right to life. It is the foremost right that is endowed a person first by nature and consequently enshrined in the constitution. It is fundamental and must be protected because there is no recompense of it when it is deprived. In this work we shall be focused on demarcating the extent of the right to life and its application under the Nigerian laws. In doing this, we shall analyze the concept of the right and its limit; circumstances that would warrant a lawful deprivation of the right to life and juxtapose the right with some concepts that have made the meaning of the right somewhat vague. The right is endowed every person, no matter their race, status, religion or creed. Once a person is a human being, then that person falls within the range of those to benefit from the right unless the right is deprived in the circumstances provided for in the constitution. Furthermore, the right to life would not be complete if other issues like euthanasia, abortion, etc. are not prevented.No protection of life can be said to be too excess.