Thousands of residents in Zamfara State have been thrown into a state of uncertainty following reports that more than 500 inmates convicted for various banditry-related offences over the past six years have been quietly released from detention.
According to insider sources at the Gusau Correctional Facility, those freed include 69 hardened bandits who were allegedly granted a secret state pardon by Governor Dauda Lawal sometime in September 2025.
Further information indicates that the released individuals were directed to the Zamfara State Zakkat and Endowment Board, which was reportedly tasked with facilitating their reintegration under what has been described as a religious amnesty arrangement.
Shockingly, among the beneficiaries of this alleged backdoor pardon were eight suspects arrested in January 2022 for offences bordering on criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, trafficking in human parts, and acts of cannibalism.
The releases, said to include inmates originally convicted under previous administrations led by Senator Abdul’Aziz Yari and Bello Mohammed Matawalle—now the Minister of Defence—have sparked widespread concern among residents already grappling with insecurity.
