Is There a Rising Femicide in Nigeria? 197 Women and Girls Killed in 2025

At least 197 Nigerian women and girls, including teenagers, were killed in cases linked to gender-based violence between January 1 and December 31, 2025, according to a new femicide report by the DOHS Cares Foundation.

The figure marks a sharp rise from 133 deaths in 2024, highlighting what experts describe as a worsening crisis.

The foundation’s femicide tracker dashboard documented 172 suspected femicide cases nationwide, resulting in 197 deaths. Founder Ololade Ajayi explained that the number of deaths exceeded reported cases because some incidents involved multiple victims.

“In some cases, one reported case may involve more than one victim. Sometimes, women are killed alongside their children,” Ajayi said.

The report noted that many victims were allegedly killed by people they knew—family members, intimate partners, neighbours, or acquaintances—underscoring the dangers women face within their own communities.

A National Emergency

Ajayi described femicide as a national emergency, not isolated incidents.

“Our data shows that, on average, women and girls are killed every 49 hours in Nigeria simply because they are female—often by people they know and trust,” she said.

She warned that the killings are preventable but persist due to weak accountability, silence, and systemic failure.

“Nigeria urgently needs legal recognition of femicide, a national tracking system and stronger measures to protect women and girls,” Ajayi added.

International organisations have echoed similar concerns. UN Women defines femicide as the intentional killing of women and girls because of their gender, distinguishing it from other forms of homicide.

A joint UNODC and UN Women report warned that femicide globally shows no signs of slowing, describing gender-related killings as the most extreme form of violence against women.

Nigeria currently has no law that specifically criminalises femicide. Public outrage continues to grow, with renewed calls for legal reforms and stronger action to curb violence against women and girls nationwide.