Avocats Sans Frontières France (ASF France) has renewed its call for the abolition of the death penalty in Nigeria and urged the Federal Government to declare an official moratorium on executions as a step toward ending capital punishment.
The organisation’s Country Director, Angela Uwandu Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, made the call in Abuja during an event marking the 2025 World Day Against the Death Penalty. The event, supported by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Australian High Commission, featured the screening of the movie Just Mercy, a story centred on justice, redemption, and wrongful convictions.
Uzoma-Iwuchukwu said the event formed part of ASF France’s ongoing efforts to promote human rights and a fair justice system. It brought together representatives of the legal community, civil society organisations, government, diplomats, students, and the media to deepen understanding of the human rights implications of the death penalty and encourage dialogue on its abolition.
She noted that ASF France has provided legal assistance to more than 800 individuals facing the death penalty across 10 states through its network of pro bono lawyers. “The World Day Against the Death Penalty serves as a reminder that justice must never come at the cost of human life. It is a call to empathy, reflection, and action,” she said.
Recent data, she added, revealed that 26 African countries have abolished the death penalty, 14 still retain it, and 15 are considered de facto abolitionists. Nigeria, however, continues to have one of the largest death row populations in Sub-Saharan Africa, with over 3,500 inmates, according to the 2025 Nigerian Correctional Service report.
Uzoma-Iwuchukwu commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for commuting seven death sentences to life imprisonment, describing it as “an encouraging step” toward a more humane justice system.
In her remarks, the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Annett Günther, said: “The death penalty is not only a legal matter but touches on justice, human dignity, and the right to life. The irreversible nature of the death penalty means mistakes and wrongful convictions are beyond correction.” She added that Germany, which abolished the death penalty over 70 years ago, continues to campaign for its global eradication.
Mr Neil Sanderson, Chargé d’Affaires of the Australian High Commission, said his country’s position “is clear—we oppose the death penalty in all circumstances.” He described it as “a cruel, inhumane, and ineffective punishment that undermines human dignity,” and welcomed Nigeria’s consideration of abolition in its constitutional reform process.
Sanderson also noted that 144 countries are now abolitionist in law or practice, with several African nations, including Ghana, Zambia, Sierra Leone, the Central African Republic, and Zimbabwe, recently taking steps to end the death penalty.
