Human rights group Hope Behind Bars Africa has revealed that 82 Nigerian women are currently on death row in correctional centres across the country, calling it one of the most overlooked gender based injustices in the criminal justice system. Executive Director Funke Adeoye disclosed the figure in Abuja at the presentation of a report titled “Beyond Her Sentence A Technical Analysis of Gender and Capital Punishment in Nigeria.”
The study, supported by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty and the French Development Agency, examines how women end up on death row and the systemic inequalities they face. Adeoye, a human rights lawyer, urged a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s criminal justice system to introduce gender sensitive sentencing and improve transparency in trials.
According to the report, nearly half of the women on death row are aged between 18 and 35. More than one third had no formal education, only about 10 per cent attained tertiary education, and most are mothers whose children have been left in fragile care arrangements during their incarceration.
Researchers also found that over a third of the women had experienced gender based violence, including domestic abuse, forced marriage and child marriage. Many were unaware of the specific laws under which they were charged, and more than half felt their trials were not transparent.
Adeoye said stigma from families and communities, especially in cases involving alleged sexual or marital offences, has deepened the suffering of affected women. She argued that the death penalty “helps no one,” stressing that justice systems are not infallible and that irreversible punishment often hits the most vulnerable hardest.
She noted that 80 per cent of the women interviewed believed rehabilitation was possible, pointing to the vocational skills and training they have accessed in correctional facilities. Adeoye called for abolition of the death penalty, describing it as both a legal necessity and a moral obligation.
Assistant Controller of Corrections and Gender Adviser, Adenike Sheyindemi, speaking for the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Sylvester Mwakuche, praised Hope Behind Bars Africa for its advocacy. She described the report as an important tool for pushing equality and reform within Nigeria’s justice and correctional systems.
Sheyindemi said the NCoS is committed to using the findings to improve correctional administration and promote gender sensitive practices. She pledged collaboration with stakeholders to develop training programmes, update correctional policies and strengthen psychological and social support for female inmates.
She emphasised that implementation, not just policy design, will be the priority to build a fairer and more rehabilitative system. She also urged parents and the media to help sensitise the public about crimes that can attract the death penalty.
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