09/10/2026
10 YEARS WITHOUT EXECUTIONS: Nigeria Reaches a Historic Human Rights Milestone!
Today, October 9, 2026, the Female Drivers Association of Nigeria (FEDAN) joined human rights advocates, diplomats, legal experts, and security leaders at the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Abuja to mark the 2026 World Day Against the Death Penalty.
Organized by Avocats Sans Frontières France (ASF France) in partnership with the NHRC, Australian High Commission, German Embassy, Spanish Embassy, Italian Embassy, NBA, and the Nigerian Correctional Service, this year’s theme—"Stories for Life: The Human Cost of Capital Punishment"—reminded us all that behind every sentence is a human being, a family, and a story.
Key Highlights & Key Takeaways:
Arts for Life Exhibition: Before the indoor sessions, delegates viewed a deeply moving art exhibition by late Arthur Angel—a Nigerian death row survivor who spent 16 years in prison (10 on death row) for a crime he did not commit, before being pardoned and becoming a global anti-death penalty advocate. The artwork was created alongside FCT high school students to illustrate the reality of prison life.
A Major 10-Year Milestone: By December 2026, Nigeria will reach 10 consecutive years without an ex*****on (since December 2016), officially satisfying international standards for a de facto abolitionist state!
The Human Figures:
Over 4,300 individuals remain on death row in Nigeria today, including 82 women (the highest female death row population in Africa).
Speakers emphasized that capital punishment disproportionately impacts the poor and socioeconomically vulnerable who lack access to top legal representation.
Powerful Testimony by Amanda Angel: Amanda Angel (21), daughter of the late Arthur Angel, delivered an emotional speech reminding everyone that death row affects entire families:
"An ex*****on cannot be reversed. When someone is killed, that life is gone forever. Behind every legal document is a real human life on the line."
Restorative Justice & Reform in Action: Comptroller Olufemi Oluyele of the Nigerian Correctional Service shared how custodial facilities are actively reforming death row inmates through university education (NOUN), vocational skills (ICT, tailoring, farming), psychological counseling, and restorative mediation with victims' families.
Our Direct Calls to Action:
1. Official De Jure Moratorium: We urge the Federal Government to transition from an informal pause to an official, binding Executive Moratorium on all ex*****ons.
2. Commutation of Sentences: State Governors should invoke Section 212 of the Constitution and Section 12(6) of the NCoS Act 2019 to systematically commute long-serving death row sentences to life imprisonment.
3. Abolish Mandatory Death Penalty Laws: Restore judicial discretion so judges can weigh mitigating circumstances and mental health factors instead of being forced into automatic death sentences.
Let us build a justice system that heals, restores, and protects human dignity for all!
-nigeria
