Sunday, November 30, 2025 -The Human Rights Watchdog in Africa, HRWA, has called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Zamfara State following reports that hundreds of inmates convicted for banditry-related offences were recently released from the Gusau Correctional Centre.
The group alleged that Governor Dauda Lawal authorised the
release of 69 convicted bandits in September through what it described as a
“secret state pardon,” reportedly processed through the Zamfara State Zakat and
Endowment Board under a programme tagged “Religious Amnesty.”
In a statement on Friday, HRWA Executive Director, Samson
Adamu, said the development had heightened fears among residents of the state,
who are already battling persistent attacks, abductions, and communal violence.
According to the organisation, some of the released
individuals included eight suspects remanded in January 2022 over serious
offences such as criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, dealing in human parts
and acts described by authorities at the time as extremely violent.
Adamu said the alleged releases, involving inmates convicted
under the administrations of former governors Abdul’aziz Yari and Bello
Matawalle, had deepened public concern about the state government’s handling of
security matters.
He accused Governor Lawal of downplaying the severity of the
insecurity in Zamfara and called for decisive federal intervention.
“These developments have left many communities in fear and
confusion.
“If the state government cannot guarantee the safety of its
citizens, then the President must exercise emergency powers to restore order,”
Adamu said.
The group urged President Tinubu to suspend the governor,
overhaul the state’s security architecture, and order an independent
investigation into the alleged pardons.
HRWA said such measures were necessary to prevent a further
escalation of insecurity in the state.
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