On Nigeria’s Concerns Over UN Femicide Data — We Must First Look Homeward .

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We have noted with interest Nigeria’s statement at the UN General Assembly questioning the reliability of international femicide statistics, citing inadequate data collection and weak monitoring mechanisms across Africa. While concerns about data quality are valid, we must ask: what is Nigeria doing to generate its own credible data?

 

The uncomfortable truth is this: the Nigerian government does not publish official data on femicide. There exists no national, coordinated system for counting, documenting, or reporting these killings. The only comprehensive femicide dataset in Nigeria today is maintained by DOHS CARES Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, through our Femicide Observatory on dohscares.org . 

We have been tracking these deaths systematically since 2024, recording 150 victims in 2024 and over 200 victims in 2025 alone. As of september 2026, our ongoing tracking shows a record number of 102 Victims already; a grim and steady rise in these killings.

 

It is contradictory to question the accuracy of external data while making no proactive effort to generate, standardise, or release government-verified statistics on femicide within our own borders. Reliable statistics begin at home, with official recognition, dedicated data infrastructure, and a commitment to transparency.

 

Furthermore, DOHS CARES Foundation has repeatedly called for specific legislation criminalising femicide in Nigeria, with proposals submitted to the National Assembly and relevant committees receiving no meaningful response. We still have no law that names femicide as a distinct crime; instead, these deaths are subsumed under general homicide statistics, their gendered motive erased from official records.


We call on the Federal Government to walk the path it advocates by implementing the under listed:

- Establish an official national femicide data registry.

- Enact legislation that specifically defines and criminalises femicide.

- Create coordinated, multi-sectoral response mechanisms to protect women and girls.


You cannot complain about bad data while refusing to collect the numbers yourself. Reliable statistics are indeed essential for effective policy, but they require political will, not just criticism from afar. Let Nigeria lead by example.

 

 DOHS CARES FOUNDATION. 

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