To mark Nigeria’s 64th Independence Anniversary, Sokoto State Governor, Ahmed Aliyu, has granted clemency to 113 inmates at the Sokoto Correctional Centre.
News About Nigeria reports that this pardon was executed under the provisions of Section 212 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and was announced on Tuesday by the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Nasiru Binji, on behalf of the governor.
The clemency included the unconditional release of 67 inmates.
Additionally, 22 inmates on death row had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment, while another 22 serving life sentences had their terms reduced to 25 years. Two other inmates received a two-year reduction in their sentences.
Governor Aliyu urged the released inmates to use this second chance to reintegrate positively into society.
“Make sure your life is different from when you arrived, and do not allow yourselves to return to this place,” he advised.
In support of their reintegration, the governor also provided each of the 67 released inmates with N50,000 to help them restart their lives.
Lawal Gusau, Sokoto State Controller of Correctional Services, praised the governor’s actions, stating that it will help in reducing congestion in correctional facilities across the country.
Meanwhile, operatives of the Sokoto Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) apprehended 13 people suspected of engaging in internet fraud in Sokoto State.
The arrests took place in September in the Gidan Yaro and Dandima areas of Sokoto following intelligence reports on their involvement in cybercrime, according to an official EFCC statement shared on X (formerly Twitter).
The suspects, all of whom claimed to be students of Usman Danfodio University Sokoto (UDUS), are currently under investigation and will face court proceedings once the investigations are concluded.
