The human rights watchdog said in its 2020 Death Sentences and Executions report, published on Wednesday, April 21, 2021, that over 2,700 inmates in Nigeria are on death row.

Only Iraq with over 7,900 death row inmates, and Pakistan with over 4,000 death row inmates have more than Nigeria.

The report noted that the United States (2,485 death row inmates), Bangladesh (1,800+), Malaysia (1,314+), Vietnam (1,200+), Kenya (1,000+), and Sri Lanka (1,000+) are other nations with a high population of death row inmates.

At least 28,567 people were known to be under sentence of death globally at the end of 2020 according to Amnesty.

The organisation noted that it was impossible to estimate an entirely accurate figure because numbers are unavailable for some countries like China, Egypt, Iran, North Korea and Saudi Arabia.

The report said Nigeria recorded over 58 additional death sentences in 2020 for crimes including murder, armed robbery, rape, kidnapping, and blasphemy.

Nigeria also recorded commutations of death sentences with governors in numerous states commuting at least 16 death sentences to life imprisonment, or 21 years imprisonment.

Amnesty said the coronavirus pandemic contributed to the reduction in the number of global executions carried out in 2020, with a recorded 29% decrease compared to 2019.

At least 483 people were executed last year, the lowest recorded by Amnesty in at least a decade.

Iran (at least 246), Egypt (at least 107), Iraq (at least 45) and Saudi Arabia (27) accounted for 88% of all known executions.

Methods of execution included beheading (in Saudi Arabia), electrocution (in the US), hanging, lethal injection, and shooting.