In di past week, two men don dey sentenced to death in Nigeria for di murder of women.
Di sentences, wey dey delivered by different judges, come three years afta both women dey killed.
One of dose wey dem give di death penalty na Peter Nwachukwu, di husband of late popular gospel singer Osinachi, wey court find guilty of im wife death following allegations of domestic violence.
Di oda na Andrew Ominikoron, one bus driver wey court find guilty of killing Bamise Ayanwola, a 22-year-old wey dey killed afta she bin take public bus.
Activists and families of dose wey dey killed say dem hope say dis sentences mark significant shift towards justice delivery for women wey men kill. But, dem say, many cases of femicide for Nigeria remain unresolved.
‘Pain wey I go carry to my grave’
Dis include di case of Onuwabuagbe Augusta Osedion, a 21-year-old undergraduate for Lead City University, Ibadan. Osedion na happy-go lucky young woman wit dreams of running her own clothing line.
But for July 2023, her bodi wey don dey decompose dey recovered from her boyfriend apartment for Lagos.
Augusta boyfriend, Benjamin Best Nnanyereugo, wey go by di nickname “Killaboi”, bin admit say e kill am for series of rants on im Instagram page.
“Di pain of my daughter death na pain wey I go carry to my grave,” her mother, Cordelia Okonye tok.
“She bin promise to make money and take care of me.”
Days afta e bin dey apprehended for Osedion killing, Nnanyereugo bin abscond from Nigerian police custody and run to Sierra Leone wia e bin remain free man until e dey rearrested on October 20, 2023, under di false identity, ‘Kanu Princeton Samuel’.
But e again bin escape custody during one prison break for Freetown on November 26, 2023. According to di Nigeria police, e bin travel through multiple regions including West Africa, East Asia and di Middle East, under forged identities bifor e eventually relocate to Doha, Qatar on January 24, 2025.
Dia, e bin live under di alias ‘Toure Abdoulaye’ wit forged Guinean passport bifor im arrest for February and den repatriation to Nigeria for April 2025 to stand trial.
But Augusta mama bin tell di BBC say im arrest no change anytin as far as she dey concerned, and no go eva give her any closure or relief of di pain wey her daughter death bring.
Femicide for Nigeria
For 2023, estimate of 85,000 women dey intentionally killed globally, according to di UN Women, one arm of di United Nations wey dey dedicated to gender equality and women empowerment. Dis translate to six women killed evri hour.
Out of dis number, Africa get di highest number of gender-related killings, wit 21,000 reported cases of femicide.
Most of dis women, 60%, dey killed by intimate partners or family members.
For Nigeria for 2024, 133 women and girls dey killed in gender-related violence, according to DOHS Cares Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation wey dey monitor reported cases of femicide. Many oda cases dey unreported.
Ajayi Ololade, a gender activist and founder of DOHS Care Foundation, say e appear say di incidents of femicide dey on di rise, wit 32 cases wey dey reported between January and March dis year.
One of dis na di case of 24-year-old youth corps member, Salome Adaidu, wey bin go viral for January 2025 afta her severed head dey found inside bag for Karu, few kilometres from Nigeria capital Abuja.
One gospel artiste, Timileyin Ajayi, dey apprehended for her killing. Police bin later find more dismembered remains for im home. E bin claim say Salome dey cheat on am.
Ajayi, wey currently dey stand trial for culpable homicide, don plead not guilty to di charge
“Any time we think of how my sister dey killed, e hurt a lot,” Salome sister, Patience Adaidu, bin tell BBC one day afta di first court hearing.
“Wit di help of God and evri one wey dey involved, we suppose dey able to get justice,” she tok.
Unlike Augusta and Salome wey appear to dey killed by dia intimate partner, anoda femicide victim, 22-year-old Bamise Ayanwole, dey killed by a stranger.
Ayanwola bin leave her workplace for Ajah, one Lagos suburb, on her way to her elder broda house for February 2022 but no reach her intended destination.
Her last communication na one voice note to a friend wey she bin send while she dey inside BRT, express concern over di behaviour of di bus driver.
Her body dey found nine days later.
Although dem find Andrew Ominikoron guilty of her murder and now don dey sentenced to death, di victim family don express di frustration wit di justice process.
Dem say dem believe say accomplices to di murder still dey on di run, and dey question why dem no make di results of some DNA tests public.
Ayanwola sister, Onaopemipo Damilola, don also criticise di court process say e dey slow.
“E don dey frustrating; e dey annoying, need to go (to court) evri time and no reasonable tin don dey done,” she bin tok for February.
“Most of di times, di defence counsel no gree show up wey don dey cause drag in di case.”
Justice wey dey difficult to find
No specific laws for di Nigerian Constitution to address cases of femicide. For di families of many victims, justice remain difficult to find.
“None of di victims of femicide cases wey DOHS Foundation dey involved in don get justice”, gender activist Ajayi Ololade tok – she cite prolonged litigation, suspects abscondment and inadequate sentencing as factors.
Families of femicide victims say dem dey often silenced by culture of victim blaming.
“Many pipo bin insult me say I refuse to train my daughter well, say na why ‘yahoo’ boy’ use am for ritual,” Onuwabuagbe Augusta Osedion mama tok.
Similar sentiments dey expressed on X wen di murder of Salome Adaidu bin go viral for January 2025.
Activists bin worry say victim blaming in gender-related killings dey discourage families to seek justice and enable culprits to avoid accountability for dia crimes.
“Instead of condemning di actual act of femicide, in most cases, di conversation online usually dey centred around wetin di victim dey wear or how di victim don provoke di perpetrators,” Ajayi Ololade tok.
Activists say many cases of femicide for Nigeria still dey unresolved.
“Killaboi”, bin admit say e kill im girlfriend for series of rants on im Instagram page
