Zamfara State Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle

NIGERIA: ZAMFARA STATE GOVERNOR MATAWALLE PARDONS 9 PRISONERS AWAITING DEATH SENTENCE

January 4, 2023:

Zamfara State Governor, Bello Mohammed Matawalle has pardoned 46 prisoners, nine of whom had been sentenced to death by hanging, and five others that were serving life imprisonment in a Medium Correctional Centre, Gusau. Speaking to journalists, Chairman of the House Committee on Prerogative of Mercy, who is the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Junaidu Aminu, said that Matawalle pardoned the inmates based on the power conferred on him by section 212 of the 1999 constitution as amended.
The Attorney General stated that a seven-man Committee on Prerogative of Mercy commenced its assignment about nine months ago during which it embarked upon checks on possible attitudinal changes across the inmates in Gusau Correctional Centre. “After thorough searches, we recommended 46 for the governor to pardon.”
He said that five of the inmates were initially sentenced to death by hanging, adding that, “Two years ago, the other five were pardoned by Governor Matawalle, who subsequently changed their punishment from death sentence to life imprisonment.” According to him, another 30 inmates, who enjoyed the Governor’s prerogative of mercy, were those sentenced to prison terms between six months and 20 years.