The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called on the Federal Government to declare an official moratorium on executions and urged state governors to commute eligible death sentences to life imprisonment, amid concerns that more than 3,000 inmates remain on death row across Nigeria.
The commission also called for a comprehensive review of laws prescribing mandatory death sentences, arguing that judicial discretion was necessary to ensure that mitigating circumstances and individual vulnerabilities were considered during sentencing.
The Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Chief Tony Ojukwu, made the appeal on Friday in Abuja during the commemoration of the 2026 World Day Against the Death Penalty at the commission’s headquarters.
Ojukwu said Nigeria was approaching 10 consecutive years without a state execution, a period he described as meeting the international standard for a de facto moratorium, despite the continued imposition of death sentences and the prolonged detention of condemned inmates.
He urged the Federal Government to formalise the suspension of executions, while calling on governors to exercise their constitutional prerogative of mercy, particularly in cases where inmates had exhausted their appeals but remained on death row.
The NHRC chief identified three immediate policy priorities: an official moratorium on executions, the commutation of eligible death sentences to life imprisonment, and a review of legislation prescribing mandatory capital punishment.
Although the death penalty remains legally permissible in Nigeria, Ojukwu stressed that its administration must comply with the country’s human rights obligations and fundamental principles of fair trial and due process.
He expressed concern over persistent weaknesses in the criminal justice system, including inadequate access to pro bono legal representation, forced confessions and delays in bringing suspects to trial.
According to him, these challenges raise serious questions about procedural fairness, particularly in capital cases where the consequences of a wrongful conviction are irreversible.
Ojukwu maintained that protecting human rights required more than the existence of legal safeguards, insisting that the justice system must guarantee fair hearings and restrict the death penalty to the most serious crimes in accordance with applicable international standards.
The proposed review of mandatory capital punishment laws, he said, would enable judges to consider the circumstances of individual cases rather than being compelled to impose the same punishment irrespective of relevant mitigating factors.
The commission’s appeal also draws attention to the plight of condemned inmates who have exhausted their legal options but remain in custody, as well as the implications of prolonged confinement for the administration of criminal justice.
It argued that a formal moratorium would provide an immediate policy framework for suspending executions while Nigeria considers broader reforms to its capital punishment system.
The commemoration was organised by the NHRC in partnership with Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) France, the Australian High Commission and the Embassy of Germany, with support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy.
Ojukwu expressed hope that deliberations at the event would culminate in a joint call-to-action communiqué to advance sustainable reforms in Nigeria’s justice sector.
The commission’s position comes amid continuing national and international debates over capital punishment, the rights of accused persons and the need to strengthen safeguards against miscarriages of justice.
