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Amnesty International Calls For Abolition of Death Penalty in Nigeria

ByTitilope Adako

PublishedOctober 17, 2025

Amnesty International has called on the Federal and State Governments to abolish the death penalty from Nigeria’s legal system.

Mrs Barbara Magaji, Programmes Manager of Amnesty International, made the appeal on Thursday during a stakeholders’ dialogue held in Abuja to mark the World Day Against the Death Penalty.

The event, organised by Amnesty International in collaboration with the French Embassy in Nigeria, focused on promoting human rights and justice reform.

Magaji urged authorities to expunge all legal provisions that contradict international human rights standards, particularly those allowing capital punishment.

She also emphasised the need to strengthen the country’s criminal justice system to ensure proper investigations, fair trials, and adequate support for victims without resorting to the death penalty.

According to her, “The Federal Government should, through the National Assembly, consider the abolition of the death penalty for all crimes in the ongoing Nigerian Constitutional Amendment process. This is because there is no convincing evidence that the death penalty has a unique deterrent effect on crimes.”

She noted that 26 states and the FCT have enacted or amended laws prescribing the death penalty for offences such as kidnapping, banditry, cattle rustling, and cultism, yet crime rates have continued to rise.

“In spite of the introduction of the death penalty, the country continues to record an increase in banditry, abduction and general criminality,” she added.

Magaji cited Amnesty International’s research showing persistent insecurity and unlawful killings across the country.

“Our documentation of insecurity in 2024 indicates that there have been over 181 incidents resulting in extra-judicial killings arising from banditry, terrorism, urban crime and herders-farmers conflict, leading to over 3,169 deaths. In 2024, 881 people were kidnapped. In 2025, there were 2,313 deaths from 204 insecurity incidents with about 1,025 people kidnapped,” she said.

She attributed the rising insecurity to multiple underlying factors that cut across national and community levels, stressing the need for a comprehensive crime prevention strategy rather than what she described as a “quick fix approach.”

Magaji reaffirmed Amnesty International’s opposition to the death penalty, describing it as a violation of the right to life guaranteed under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

“The death penalty is often imposed after grossly unfair trials. But even when trials meet international standards, the risk of executing the innocent can never be completely eliminated. The death penalty will inevitably claim innocent victims, as has been persistently demonstrated,” she said.

She maintained that the global trend was moving towards abolition and clarified that Amnesty International’s stance does not in any way condone crime or disregard victims’ suffering.

“Amnesty International fully acknowledges the pain of victims of violent crimes and their families and recognises the duty of governments to protect their rights. However, accountability must be ensured without resorting to the death penalty,” she added.

Magaji disclosed that 143 countries have so far abolished the death penalty in law or practice.

Titilope Adako

Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.