Amnesty International has called on both the Federal and State Governments to abolish the death penalty in Nigeria.
The Programmes Manager of Amnesty International, Mrs. Barbara Magaji, made the appeal during a stakeholders’ dialogue marking the World Day Against the Death Penalty.
The event, held on Thursday in Abuja, was organised by Amnesty International in partnership with the French Embassy in Nigeria.
Magaji emphasized the importance of removing all national and state law provisions that contravene international human rights standards, particularly those that permit the death penalty.
She further urged governments to ensure the criminal justice system is adequately resourced and capable of investigating crimes effectively.
“The law should be able to support victims and guarantee fair trials without recourse to the death penalty,” she added.
She also called on the Federal Government to consider abolishing the death penalty for all crimes through the National Assembly during 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,” Magaji said.
She pointed out that, at present, 26 states and the FCT have enacted or amended laws prescribing the death penalty for offenses such as kidnapping, banditry, cattle rustling, and cultism.
“In spite the introduction of the death penalty, the country continues to record an increase in banditry, abduction and general criminality.”
According to Magaji, research by Amnesty International into violence and killings in Nigeria indicates rising insecurity, unlawful killings, and kidnappings for ransom.
“This is in spite of the introduction of the death penalty to crimes of banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling, and cultism. 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 herdsmen farmers conflict and SGBV. This has led to over 3169 deaths. In 2024, 881 people were kidnapped. In 2025, there were 2313 deaths arising from 204 insecurity incidents with some situations resulting in the kidnapping of 1025 people,” she said.
Magaji explained that Nigeria’s growing insecurity stems from multiple factors affecting society at all levels, from national to local communities.
She stressed that addressing these underlying causes requires a broad approach and the implementation of a comprehensive crime prevention strategy, rather than relying on a quick-fix approach that proves ineffective.
She reaffirmed Amnesty International’s opposition to the death penalty under any circumstance.
“Amnesty International considers that death penalty violates the right to life as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The death penalty is often imposed after a grossly unfair trial. But even when trials respect international standards of fairness, the risk of executing the innocent can never be fully eliminated. The death penalty will inevitably claim innocent victims, as has been persistently demonstrated. The trend towards abolition of the death penalty is clear. In opposing the death penalty, Amnesty International is in no way seeking to condone the crimes for which those sentenced to death were convicted,” she said.
Magaji acknowledged the suffering of victims of violent crime and their families and reiterated the government’s responsibility to protect their rights.
“Amnesty International also believed that people found guilty following a trial that met international fair trial standards should be held accountable but without recourse to the death penalty,” she added.
She concluded by noting that 143 countries around the world have now abolished the death penalty in law or in practice.
