Twelve inmates in Jigawa State correctional facilities are waking up today as free men granted a pardon by Governor Umar Namadi in a gesture of compassion timed to coincide with the end of Ramadan and Friday’s Eid-el-Fitr celebrations.
The pardon was announced today Thursday 19th March 2026 in a statement signed by the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Bello Abdulkadir Fanini, and made available to journalists in Dutse, the state capital.
The decision followed the recommendation of the Jigawa State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy in accordance with Section 5(1) of the Advisory Council of Prerogative of Mercy Law, Cap A2, Laws of Jigawa State 2012, and was executed under Section 212(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.
The twelve beneficiaries are Ibrahim Adamu Isa, Sa’idu Umar, Adamu Musa, Habibu Musa, Yusuf Ahmed, Shu’aibu Adamu, Abdullahi Ya’u, Yahaya Jana’u, Abdul Hamisu, Garba Miko, Salisu Isa and Aliyu Ibrahim.
The criteria for selection were clear, and it read “those pardoned exhibited good behaviour and have only a few months remaining to complete their sentences,” Fanini stated. The gesture was aimed at fostering goodwill and giving the beneficiaries an opportunity to reintegrate into society as responsible citizens.
Fanini urged the released inmates to repay the governor’s mercy by sustaining the good conduct that earned them the pardon in the first place and by steering clear of any further legal infractions. The pardon, he said, is a demonstration of Governor Namadi’s commitment to the rule of law, equity, fairness and the principles of forgiveness values the governor has consistently sought to embed in the administration of justice in Jigawa State.
It is the second consecutive year Governor Namadi has extended the hand of clemency to inmates ahead of Eid.
