Mid-Year Review: What FAME Foundation Femicide Tracker Reveals About Violence Against Women and Girls in Nigeria

The first six months of 2026 have once again highlighted the devastating reality of violence against women and girls in Nigeria. While each case documented by our Femicide Tracker tells a different story, together they reveal recurring patterns that cannot be ignored. Behind every entry in the tracker is a life cut short, a family left grieving, and a reminder that many women continue to face the greatest danger in places and relationships where they should feel safest.

Between January and June 2026, our Femicide Tracker documented 54 reported cases of femicide and other gender-related killings involving women and girls across Nigeria. Although these figures represent only reported cases and do not capture the full scale of the problem, they provide necessary insight into how violence against women continues to manifest across communities.

One of the most striking findings from the first half of the year is the role of intimate partners in these killings. Husbands were identified as alleged perpetrators in 12 reported cases, while boyfriends were linked to 8 cases. Together, they account for a huge proportion of the cases documented during the reporting period. This reinforces a troubling but consistent reality: many women are most at risk from individuals they know and trust.

The cases recorded by our tracker also point to a wide range of circumstances surrounding these deaths. Some victims were reportedly killed following domestic disputes or prolonged abuse, while others lost their lives after rejecting advances, ending relationships, resisting sexual violence, or during acts linked to kidnapping, robbery, or other criminal activity. Several cases remain under investigation, while others have led to arrests. However, many families are still waiting for justice, underscoring the need for faster investigations and more effective prosecution of perpetrators.

The victims documented during this period came from different backgrounds and age groups. They included students, professionals, mothers, business owners and young girls. Their stories show us that femicide is not confined to a particular age, occupation or social class. It is a national issue that demands sustained attention and coordinated action.

The findings also highlight the importance of documenting every reported case. In Nigeria, the absence of a centralised system for tracking femicide means that many incidents receive brief public attention before fading from the national conversation. Our Femicide Tracker was established to help bridge this gap by monitoring reported cases, preserving the stories behind the statistics, and generating evidence to inform advocacy, policy discussions and public awareness.

While arrests have been made in several of the documented cases, arrest alone does not amount to justice. Survivors’ families deserve timely investigations, diligent prosecution and fair judicial outcomes. Equally important is strengthening efforts to prevent these killings before they occur through improved survivor protection services, early intervention in cases of domestic violence, effective enforcement of existing laws, and greater public awareness of the warning signs of abuse.

As Nigeria enters the second half of 2026, the data serves as more than a record of lives lost. It is a call to action. Governments, law enforcement agencies, the judiciary, civil society organisations, traditional and religious leaders, the media and communities all have a role to play in preventing violence against women and girls.

Every woman and girl have the right to live free from violence. Every reported case should strengthen our collective resolve to prevent the next one.

FAME Foundation Femicide Tracker is an initiative that documents publicly reported cases of femicide and gender-related killings of women and girls. By collecting and analysing data, the tracker seeks to improve public awareness, strengthen evidence-based advocacy, support policy dialogue, and promote accountability in the response to violence against women and girls.

The figures presented in this mid-year review cover reported cases documented by FAME Foundation Femicide Tracker between 1 January and 30 June 2026. As the tracker relies on publicly available reports, the documented cases do not represent the full prevalence of femicide in Nigeria.