NHRC, Australia seek formal moratorium on executions as 3,500 remain on death row

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Australian Government have called on Nigeria to formalise its decade-long pause on executions, as more than 3,500 inmates remain on death row.
The NHRC’s Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu, SAN, and Australia’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ms Leilani Bin-Juda, made the call on Friday in Abuja at the commemoration of the 2026 World Day Against the Death Penalty, themed “Stories for Life.”
The event, held at the NHRC auditorium, was organised with Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) France, the Australian High Commission and the German Embassy, with support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy.
Bin-Juda aligned with the Commission’s position an...