82 Women On Death Row In Nigeria, Rights Group Raises Alarm
By DIANA CHUKWUKA
AN international rights organisation, Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) France, has revealed that 82 women are currently on death row in Nigerian correctional centres—one of the highest figures recorded for female inmates in sub-Saharan Africa.
The disclosure was made by ASF France Country Director, Angela Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, during a capacity-building workshop in Abuja focused on integrating gender perspectives into the application of the death penalty. The session is part of activities marking the global 16 Days of Activism campaign.
Uzoma-Iwuchukwu said many of the affected women face deep-seated gender bias throughout the justice process—from arrest to conviction. She explained that a significant number are survivors of domestic violence who reacted in self-defence but were not recognised as victims. Instead, she said, they often face discrimination, inadequate legal representation and harmful stereotypes.
According to her, poverty remains a major barrier, as most women on death row cannot afford competent legal defence. She cited a notable case in Katsina State where a young woman was sentenced to death by stoning for pregnancy outside wedlock. ASF France intervened, and the conviction was overturned because the system failed to investigate who impregnated her.
The organisation is calling for a moratorium on executions and for courts to treat experiences of gender-based violence as mitigating factors in capital punishment cases.
Dr. Chioma Kanu, Executive Director of the Mothers and Marginalised Advocacy Centre, added that wrongful convictions and unfair trials deepen cycles of trauma for families. She stressed that not all death row inmates are guilty, with some convicted through torture-induced confessions or lost case files.
Advocates insist that meaningful justice must protect victims, uphold fair trial standards and ensure that no woman is condemned because of systemic failures.
