The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has urged state governors to commute death sentences and the Federal Government to formalise a moratorium on executions, warning that more than 3,000 inmates remain on death row amid prolonged uncertainty over their fate.
  
The Commission said Nigeria was approaching 10 consecutive years without a state execution, despite courts continuing to impose death sentences and condemned inmates spending years in custody.
  
Its Executive Secretary, Chief Tony Ojukwu (SAN), made the call in Abuja during the commemoration of the 2026 World Day Against the Death Penalty.
  
Ojukwu said the absence of executions had created an opportunity for the government to reconsider its approach to capital punishment, urging authorities to translate the longstanding suspension into a formal policy.
  
He called on governors to exercise their constitutional power of mercy to commute death sentences, particularly in cases where inmates had exhausted their appeals but remained in custody without a clear resolution of their cases.
  
The NHRC also advocated a review of laws prescribing mandatory death sentences, arguing that judges should have the discretion to consider mitigating circumstances and vulnerabilities within the criminal justice system before imposing capital punishment.
  
The Commission identified inadequate access to pro bono legal representation, forced confessions and delays in bringing suspects to trial as concerns that could undermine fair trial guarantees in capital cases.
  
According to the NHRC, Nigeria’s continued use of the death penalty must be assessed against its human rights obligations, including the protection of life, human dignity and the right to a fair hearing.
  
The prolonged stay of condemned inmates in correctional facilities has also raised concerns about the consequences of leaving death sentences unresolved for years.
  
The Nigerian Correctional Service has identified governors’ reluctance to sign death warrants or commute sentences as a major factor contributing to the situation, with some inmates spending decades in custody after the conclusion of their appeals.
  
The Commission said governors could commute such sentences to life imprisonment or grant pardons on compassionate grounds rather than allow inmates to remain indefinitely under sentence of death.
  
Australia’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ms Leilani Bin-Juda, PSM, aligned with the NHRC’s position, reaffirming Australia’s opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances.
  
She urged Nigeria to use the approaching 10-year milestone without executions as an opportunity for broader legal and institutional reforms.
  
Although capital punishment remains legally available in Nigeria, the NHRC’s intervention places renewed emphasis on the gap between the continued imposition of death sentences and the prolonged failure to resolve the status of those awaiting execution.