Death penalty would not be abolished in Nigeria as "we cannot do without capital punishment, the minister of Internal Affairs has said.

Amidst protests from parts of the country, there has been a sustained campaign from sections of the international community urging government to outlaw the capital punishment. But Minister of State for Internal Affairs, Alhaji Abubakar Tanko, told reporters in Kaduna on Tuesday that death penalty remains because it remained the right resort in many demands for appropriate penlty for willful crimes.

Tanko spoke while on a visit to the Kaduna Prisons, as part of his tour of formations under the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

According to him, any person who commits a capital offence should pay for it, arguing that it could be more dangerous to allow such a person to continue to live in society.

He noted however that the judiciary must confirm beyond all reasonable doubts that a person convicted in a case of capital offence is seen to be actually guilty. If this is the case, the minister said, "there is no reason why he should not be killed."

Tanko regretted the level of decay of infrastructure at the Kaduna Prisons, as some of the buildings have begun to give way.

He announced government's decision to embark on general prison reforms which would include repair and expansion of existing infrastructure, as well as an enhanced training of inmates in various trades and crafts.

The Conptroller of Prison Services, Mr G. A. Jinge, had earlier warned that some of the buildings housing inmates had become death traps