Rights advocates renew calls for abolition in Nigeria at World Day Against the Death Penalty

As the world marked the 23rd World Day Against the Death Penalty, stakeholders in Nigeria’s justice reform movement renewed calls for the abolition of capital punishment, warning that the country’s death penalty regime perpetuates injustice rather than deter crime.

At an event themed “Justice Reimagined: Voices from the Shadows of Loss” held in Lagos on Thursday, The Inclusion Project (TIP) launched a documentary, “Justice Reimagined: Voices of Loss,” spotlighting the human toll of executions and the failures of Nigeria’s criminal justice system.

The forum, moderated by Pamela Okoroige, TIP’s Director, featured a panel discussion with Abiodun Odusote, associate professor of Law at the University of Lagos, and Nathaniel Ngwu, convener of the Criminal Justice Network of Nigeria.

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Okoroigwe said the documentary aimed to challenge entrenched narratives around capital punishment by centering the voices of victims themselves.

“For too long, the death penalty has been defended on behalf of victims without actually asking what victims want,” she said. “This documentary makes it clear that many victims in Nigeria are rejecting the death penalty not out of sympathy for offenders, but because they understand that killing in response to killing does not deliver justice, it only deepens injustice.”

In the film, victims of capital offences shared their stories, many expressing that executions bring neither closure nor healing. Odusote echoed that sentiment, describing the death penalty as “derogatory, inhuman and appalling.”

“Those who have lost loved ones are still of the view that killing the perpetrators will not bring closure,” he said. “Why not investigate what happened? Why not do a holistic review of the events surrounding the crime?”

The law professor linked the persistence of executions to deeper systemic problems, including corruption, lack of forensic capacity, and weak investigations that often result in wrongful convictions.

Citing recent global shifts, Odusote noted that “24 countries in Africa, including Rwanda, Senegal, Zambia, and Equatorial Guinea, have abolished the death penalty,” urging Nigeria to follow suit.

Ngwu, in his intervention, said many states were “afraid to execute” convicts, recognizing the moral and legal burden of such acts.

“Keeping those people in solitary confinement in prisons is another form of torture,” he said. “It is high time the Nigerian government declared an official moratorium and reviewed how far we have gone with these executions. Has the death penalty stopped murder or armed robbery? The answer is no.”

He added that systemic instability in the judiciary and prosecution undermines justice for both victims and defendants.

“We don’t have a stable judiciary or prosecution,” Ngwu said. “In some courts, trials drag on for years because police investigators fail to testify or present evidence. This is why we must strengthen justice institutions, not cling to executions.”

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In its official statement, The Inclusion Project urged the federal government to abolish the death penalty and replace it with life imprisonment. The group outlined four key demands: Declare a nationwide moratorium on executions; commute all existing death sentences to life imprisonment or fixed terms; amend all relevant criminal laws to remove capital punishment; and centre victims’ real needs in justice reform through restorative approaches.

“The death penalty protects no one,” the statement read. “It has not reduced violent offences but has heightened the risk of wrongful convictions and the irreversible tragedy of executing innocent persons.”