Germany, Australia, and the human rights organisation Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) France have renewed calls for Nigeria to abolish the death penalty, describing it as an inhumane and irreversible punishment that has no place in a modern justice system.
The appeal came during a film screening of “Just Mercy” in Abuja, organised by ASF France to mark the 2025 World Day Against the Death Penalty. The event highlighted the need for governments to pursue justice without resorting to executions.
German Ambassador to Nigeria, Annett Günther, said capital punishment contradicts the principles of justice and human dignity. She noted that wrongful convictions cannot be undone once executions occur, adding that Germany, which abolished the death penalty over seven decades ago, continues to advocate for its global elimination.
“Abolition is not just a legal decision—it’s a moral one. We urge Nigeria to take further steps towards ending the practice entirely,” she said.
Neil Sanderson, Chargé d’Affaires of the Australian High Commission, echoed the sentiment, reaffirming Australia’s absolute opposition to capital punishment in all situations.
“The death penalty is cruel and ineffective. It strips individuals of their dignity and does not deliver true justice,” Sanderson said. He also welcomed discussions around including abolition in Nigeria’s constitutional reform efforts, noting that more than 140 countries have already moved away from executions.
ASF France Country Director, Angela Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, said the global campaign against the death penalty is driven by the belief that justice should never cost a human life. She revealed that the organisation has provided legal aid to more than 800 inmates facing execution across 10 Nigerian states.
According to Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, data from the Nigerian Correctional Service show that over 3,500 people remain on death row, one of the largest such populations in sub-Saharan Africa.
“These numbers show why sustained advocacy and reform are urgent. Africa is making progress—26 countries have abolished the death penalty, while several others no longer carry out executions,” she said.
She praised President Bola Tinubu’s decision to commute seven death sentences to life imprisonment as part of a wider pardon for 175 inmates, describing it as a “positive and humane step” toward broader reform.
The National Human Rights Commission’s Executive Secretary, Anthony Ojukwu, represented by Pwadumdi Okoh, said the death penalty debate remains one of the most divisive human rights issues globally. He urged collective effort to promote a justice system grounded in fairness and compassion.
ASF France and its partners called for an official moratorium on executions in Nigeria, emphasizing that dignity, not death, should define the nation’s pursuit of justice.
