With heart-wrenching frequency, records of young women brutally murdered by those they once loved and trusted made headlines. These women, full of dreams and potential, had life taken from them, in inhumane and unimaginable ways. From stories of wives who were killed by their husbands, to young ladies murdered by their boyfriends. A child killing his mother and so on, Nigerians woke up to heart breaking headlines. But beyond just headlines, these killings left a wake of trauma, pain, fear not to speak of the stock pile of lawsuits.

Prevalence of femicide

Ololade Alayi, a femicide researcher and COO of DOHS foundation, had decried the rising cases of femicide in the country. Her foundation, which tracks femicide cases across states, revealed that the cases tracked in January and February of 2025 alone is 34, with March recording 16 more deaths.

Ms Ololade, who spoke to Weekend Trust during an interview, said that though the figures mentioned are for January and February 2025, the foundation had already tracked three cases in the month of March. These cases, according to her, were those that happened on or before the International Women?s Day which was held on March 8th.

Explaining further, she mentioned that 17 cases were tracked in January and 15 cases in February already, adding that the numbers keep rising.

Pointing to the significant increase in femicide cases this year, Ololade said that ?the 17 cases in January this year indicates an increase from the five in January 2024.?

This, according to her, translates to one woman killed in every 1.7 days which approximately means a woman killed every two days in the first two months of this year.

Though activists fear that the cases of femicide might be alarming by the end of the year, the numbers in 2024 weren?t any better.

According to an Amnesty International report, the number of women and girls killed from the first of January to the 31st of December 2024 was 149.

Revealing the frequency of femicides globally, a 2024 UN women report stated that one woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes.

This latest report revealed that about 60 percent of all female homicides are committed by an intimate partner or a family member, indicating that a total of not more than 85,000 women and girls were killed globally in 2023, out of which 51,100 were committed by an intimate partner or a family member.

Meanwhile, reports have indicated that Africa recorded the highest rates of intimate partner and family-related femicide in 2023.

Femicide explained

The term femicide, according to a 2023 UN Women article, is intentional killings committed on the grounds of gender-related factors.

Also, Ololade Alayi explained femicide to mean the intentional killing of women and girls by men who are usually their intimate partners, relatives, or close acquaintances, describing it as the highest manifestation of Gender Based Violence (GBV).

Growing fear and hatred for men

Even as the wave of femicide is said to have a rippling effect on society, close relatives of victims are left with the weight of its impact.

In this report, Weekend Trust reached out to relatives of victims to hear the impact of such tragedy on their everyday lives.

Our reporter contacted about four relatives of victims in the course of writing this report, and most of those contacted declined comments, citing trauma as their reason, while adding they did not want their wounds to be reopened.

However, self employed Damilola Ayanwola is a single mother in her 30s. She is an older sister to the late Bamise Ayanwola ? the 22-year-old fashion designer who was reportedly murdered in Lagos in 2022.

With a deep sigh of pain, Damilola told our correspondent how the death of her sister three years ago opened up her old wound and rekindled her hatred towards men. Though she struggled to move on, she said she deliberately avoided men, attributing her action to a sad experience she encountered years ago. ?I was once a victim of rape myself which was how I got my child.?

She added that the death of her sister, who was reportedly murdered in 2022 by a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) driver who allegedly raped and murdered her, ?renewed my hatred for men and fear for the safety of young girls.?

While expressing how she felt, Damilola said that the death of her sister among other cases of GBV ?makes me feel crazy and it makes me feel like tearing them (men) into pieces.?

She added that ?it makes me feel sad, unhappy and unsafe so I don?t like it and I despise men.?

Hauwau Abdullahi, 40, is an older sister to the late Wasilah Abdullahi, who was reportedly beaten to death by her husband in Bauchi State over Ramadan food.

The mother of four who spoke in Hausa, admitted that the death of her sister was the worst thing she had ever experienced, adding that she could not believe that a husband could do that to his wife.

Hauwau also said that the circumstances surrounding the death of her sister had left her in fear, especially as she has to care for the nine-month-old baby the late Wasilah left behind.

?Though I am scared, I still don?t believe all men can act like that. But men should please fear God.?

Why the numbers are high

Sharing her thoughts, femicide researcher and COO DOHS foundation, Ololade Alayi, linked the rise in cases to a refusal to address the root cause of femicide, which she identified as misogyny. ?If you check these trends, these men act with so much impunity when perpetuating these acts against women because there?s not much consequences for their crime which potential perpetrators might see and be scared to toe the path.

Alayi also explained that lack of specific legislation on femicide, as well as delayed trials in some cases, has contributed to its prevalence. ?If when perpetrators are caught, the trial is speedy. Within one year, we are hearing a death sentence or life imprisonment for perpetrators; it will send a clear message that the government will not tolerate femicide in any way.?

The DOHS boss decried that the growing number implied a failure in the protection of women and girls in the country, expressing fear that the numbers might rise in the coming days if nothing urgent is done.

Justice must be speedy ? Lawyer

A Nigerian lawyer based in Abuja, Barrister Redzie Jugo, said that a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach is essential to combat the rising violence.

According to him, there is a need to strengthen legal frameworks. This he said involves amending laws and reinforcing institutions to ensure perpetrators are held accountable, pre-emptive security measures are encouraged, and legal loopholes are eliminated to prevent miscarriages of justice.

Jugo also noted that tackling poverty and unemployment is one effort that can address the issue of femicide in the country, which he noted requires a collaborative effort from the government, civil societies and individuals to create economic opportunities, promote education and skills development and challenge harmful patriarchal norms.

He further noted that educating young women about the dangers of online predators and these types of crimes is crucial. This he said requires a joint effort from parents, educators, and community leaders to empower women to make informed decisions and protect themselves.

However, the House of Representatives has mandated the National Judicial Council (NJC) to facilitate the designation of special divisions within existing courts at all levels to expeditiously handle homicide, femicide and related cases.

Recent victims of femicide

A 36-year-old housewife named Josephine Isaac was reported dead after her husband allegedly stabbed her in the neck and chest during an argument in Ogun State on the 6th of March 2025.

Twenty-four-year-old Wasila Abdulahi was reportedly flogged to death by her husband Nuru Isah over Ramadan food in Bauchi State on Saturday March 1, 2025.

This according to the Bauchi Police State Command was after a misunderstanding over Ramadan meal preparations.

Also, 40-year-old Salma Abdullahi was allegedly beaten to death with a pestle by her son, Safiyanu Dalhatu, who has since been arrested by the Bauch? State Police Command. The incident occurred on February 24, 2025, in the Abujan Kwata area of Bauchi metropolis.

Lawal Hafsoh Yetunde, who was reportedly killed by a cleric Abdulrahman Ballo on February 10, 2025, was until her death a final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education in Ilorin, Kwara State.

Her gruesome murder, allegedly for ritual purposes, is currently in court.

Recall the report of 24-year-old Salome Eleojo Adaidu, member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), serving in Abuja, whose alleged boyfriend Oluwatimileyin Ajayi murdered in Nasarawa State on January 12, 2025.

Also, late Mrs Blessing Nwaka, mother of five boys in Abagana, Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State, was set ablaze by her husband, as seen in a viral video online.

According to reports, the victim?s husband, Mr Sunday Nwaka, a middle-aged man, poured fuel on her and immediately set her on fire over a misunderstanding on the 21st of January 2025. (Weekend Trust)

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