Nigeria
Nigeria has one of the largest death row populations in the world, with more than 3,500 people living under a sentence of death. Despite this, the country has not conducted an execution since 2016.
We have been working towards the abolition of the death penalty in Nigeria since the mid-2000s, alongside our dedicated local partners.
Nigeria retains the death penalty, and it remains the automatic punishment for crimes including murder and armed robbery. However, no execution has been carried out in the country since 2016.
Those on death row continue to live under the threat of execution, frequently in prolonged and harsh detention conditions. The road to abolition is complex, requiring engagement across multiple levels of government and the legal system, but in the last few years, momentum in Parliament towards reform has been building, with two Executive Bills addressing the country’s use of capital punishment being presented to the National Assembly in 2025.
We have provided expert legal advice and support to local partners challenging the death penalty in Nigerian courts, pressing issues around the age of defendants at the time of offence, conditions of detention and methods of execution. This work has helped bring fair trial concerns into sharper focus within the legal system.
More recently, hosted by the British Embassy, we brought together civil society organisations, members of the diplomatic community and key political stakeholders to explore realistic routes towards abolition. Those conversations have been fruitful: three Executive Bills proposing outlawing the death penalty have been presented to the National Assembly, and there has been a real momentum in Parliament towards reform.
Recently we have also delivered practical training to members of the media in Nigeria with the aim of invigorating public discourse and promote understanding of common myths surrounding capital punishment whilst political momentum builds.
Building on research produced by local working groups, we have commissioned a new study in collaboration with our longstanding partners The Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP) and The Death Penalty Research Unit, University of Oxford examining the death row population in Nigeria. This will generate new empirical data, essential to fuel evidence-based dialogue and decision making and sustain the momentum towards abolition.
We continue to support legal challenges and are developing a comprehensive public and political advocacy strategy alongside several civil society partners and the British diplomatic mission.
The conditions for change are there. We are working strategically and tirelessly to make it happen – and ensure one of the world’s largest death row populations is able to have hope.