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Summary
A total of 88 Nigerian women were killed between January and June 2025, prompting DOHS Cares Foundation to call for urgent government action and a dedicated femicide law to address the growing crisis.
DOHS Cares Foundation is sounding the alarm on an urgent national tragedy: 88 Nigerian women have been killed between January and June 2025 — an average of one woman every 49 hours.
These are not just numbers. These are grandmothers, mothers, daughters, sisters, partners, and friends who are business women, bankers, nurses, housewives, stylists, models, nutritionists, politicians, realtors, students, Women and Girls with full lives —lives now lost to gender-based violence and femicide, a crime that continues to ravage homes, communities, and our national conscience with little to no accountability.
“Every week, three to four women are violently erased from our society,” says Ajayi Ololade, Founder of DOHS Cares. “This is not a crisis we can afford to normalise or ignore. Femicide is the ultimate form of gender-based violence, and Nigeria must respond with urgency.”
Despite constitutional guarantees, existing laws like the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP) and public outcry following high-profile cases, the culture of impunity remains entrenched. Victims are often blamed. Perpetrators walk free, and Survivors are silenced.
Call for Immediate Action
Feminist Researchers of the DOHS Femicide Research Hub are demanding the following:
- The proposed Femicide Bill drafted by DOHS should be immediately tabled on the floor of the House of Assembly.
- Government agencies must prioritise and publicly track femicide cases as a distinct crime.
- Law Enforcement Agencies and The Judiciary must ensure swift investigation and prosecution of perpetrators.
- A national femicide register and early warning system must be established.
- Community and religious leaders must speak out and shift harmful social norms that devalue women’s lives.
