intentionally of his life, save in execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offence of which he has been found guilty in Nigeria; The English Magna Carta of 1215, which is one of the earliest national statute prohibiting deprivation of liberty, provides that “no free man shall be taken or imprisoned, or deceased of his free hold, or liberties, or free customs, or be outlawed, or exiled, or be otherwise destroyed; nor will we pass upon him, nor condemn him, but by the lawful judgment of his peers, or by the law of the land”. In MAKARATZIS v. GREECE (Application no. 50385/99) JUDGMENT 20 December 2004 the European Court in its decision referring to Article 2 (1) of the European convention which is pari-materia to Article 4 of the African Charter, enjoins the State not only to refrain from the intentional and unlawful taking of life, but also to take appropriate steps within its internal legal order to safeguard the lives of those within its jurisdiction. The right to life is protected in all universal and regional core human rights instruments including , the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Internal Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, The African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, The European Convention on Human Rights and The Inter-American Convention on Human Rights. Although expressed in different words and phrases, the intent is the same. The right to life is often claimed (and rightly so) to be the most important of all human rights because it is a pre-condition for the enjoyment of other rights. The right is not to be interpreted narrowly. It concerns the entitlement of individuals to be free from acts or omissions intended or expected to cause their unnatural or premature death as well as enjoy life with dignity. Article 6 of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) provides as follows: 17