Abstract Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are amongst the most common ubiquitous anthropogenic pollutants of terrestrial ecosystems. There are currently multiple sources of PAHs in Nigeria and land use activities have been shown to alter the composition of PAHs and in some cases increase the fractions of carcinogenic and recalcitrant components. This report considers the implementation of a more specific risk based corrective action to abate threats caused by carcinogenic PAHs in eroded and degraded soils for prospective risk assessment and realistic decision-making. Bioremediation is promoted for degradation of PAHs in soils, but faces several limitations that question the effectiveness of the approach. This review provides insights into bioaccessibility and chemical activity assessment of PAHs as a procedure of risk assessment and the potential use of specially produced biochar designed for specific risk mitigation remedial action was also considered.