Hope Behind Bars Launches Groundbreaking Report on Gender and Death Penalty in Nigeria

Folalumi Alaran in Abuja

Hope Behind Bars Africa has unveiled a new research report titled “Beyond Her Sentence: A Technical Analysis of Gender and Capital Punishment in Nigeria”, shedding light on the intersection of gender, justice, and the death penalty in the country.

Speaking at the launch in Abuja, Executive Director of Hope Behind Bars Africa, Funke Adeoye, described the report as the culmination of 10 months of rigorous research supported by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty and the French Development Agency (AFD).

The study, conducted by Ms. Ogechukwu Ogu and Professor Ibrahim Bello of Bayero University, Kano, was carried out in partnership with the Nigerian Correctional Service across 10 custodial facilities nationwide. Researchers verified official figures showing 82 women currently on death row and conducted trauma-informed interviews with 60 women in 10 states.

Adeoye noted that the study highlights how women on death row face multiple layers of vulnerability — from poverty and limited access to education and justice, to gender-based violence and cultural pressures.

“Nearly half of the women on death row are aged between 18 and 35, one-third had no formal education, and most are mothers who left their children in fragile care arrangements,” she said. “Over a third had experienced domestic violence, forced marriage, or child marriage.”

The report found that many of the women were unaware of the laws under which they were convicted, while more than half described their trials as non-transparent. Despite their circumstances, over 80 percent expressed belief in rehabilitation and had acquired vocational skills while in prison.

Adeoye emphasised that the findings expose deep-seated inequalities in Nigeria’s criminal justice system, adding that the death penalty “exacerbates rather than alleviates” systemic injustices.

She urged the Nigerian government to declare a moratorium on executions as a first step toward abolition, review discriminatory sentencing laws, and strengthen gender-sensitive legal and correctional reforms.

“The death penalty helps no one,” she stated. “Our justice system is not infallible, and irreversible punishment disproportionately affects the most vulnerable. Abolition is both a legal necessity and a moral imperative.”

The organisation also announced plans to review several cases of women on death row for possible appeal or clemency, citing examples of inmates in Edo and Niger States whose cases revealed serious judicial inconsistencies.

In a goodwill message on behalf of the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Sylvester Mwakuche, the Assistant Controller of Corrections and Gender Advisor, Adenike Sheyindemi, commended Hope Behind Bars Africa for its commitment to justice and reform.

Sheyindemi described the report as a vital contribution to the national conversation on equality and reform within Nigeria’s justice system.

“This technical analysis is not merely a research document; it is a powerful instrument for advocacy,” she said. “The Nigerian Correctional Service is committed to leveraging these findings to improve correctional administration and promote gender-sensitive practices.”

She added that the NCoS would collaborate with relevant stakeholders to develop training programmes, revise correctional policies, and strengthen psychological and social support for female inmates.

“We are not just focused on having policies,” Sheyindemi stressed. “Our priority is to ensure they are implemented effectively to create a fairer, more rehabilitative correctional system.”

The Beyond Her Sentence report calls for prevention through education, awareness, and early intervention, urging society to address the social and gender-based factors that push women into conflict with the law before they reach the point of criminalisation.