-Deborah Akinyosoye
As part of the World Day Against the Death Penalty, Advocats Sans Frontières (ASF) France, also known as Lawyers Without Borders, has raised serious concerns over the growing number of inmates on death row in Nigeria.
The organization disclosed that 3,650 inmates, including 63 women across 11 maximum-security prisons, are currently awaiting execution in the country.
ASF’s Country Director, Ms. Angela Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, shared these figures during a high-level technical consultation on Thursday. She noted that while Nigeria has observed a voluntary moratorium on executions since 2014, the absence of a formal policy leaves death row inmates vulnerable to execution at any time.
“While the moratorium is a step in the right direction, the lack of a policy to enforce it means those over 3,000 inmates remain at risk of execution,” Uzoma-Iwuchukwu stated. She also highlighted that Nigeria holds the highest number of death row inmates in sub-Saharan Africa, and the number continues to rise as new death sentences are handed down regularly.
The event also featured remarks from the Legal Defence & Assistance Project (LEDAP), whose Executive Director, Mr. Chinonye Obiagwu, SAN, noted that Nigeria has the highest number of death row prisoners in Africa. “Nigeria also has the highest number of offenses that carry the death penalty, and we are deeply concerned about this alarming trend,” Obiagwu said, urging the government to abolish capital punishment.
Similarly, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) joined the call for an end to the death penalty. NHRC’s Executive Secretary, Mr. Anthony Ojukwu, SAN, emphasized the irreversible nature of capital punishment and its potential for irreparable harm, especially in cases of wrongful convictions.
“We cannot ignore the growing evidence that shows capital punishment does not deter crime. The risk of executing innocent people remains one of the greatest failures of any justice system,” Ojukwu added.
Representing the NBA, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, called the death penalty “outdated and ineffective,” urging the federal government to review its use.
He assured that the NBA would continue to advocate for reforms that ensure fair trials and humane sentencing, offering free legal services to individuals facing the death penalty.
International representatives, including the Australian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ms. Leilani Bin-Juda, and the Deputy Head of Mission at the French Embassy, Jean-François Hasperue, were also present at the event, signaling global support for Nigeria’s movement toward abolishing the death penalty.