The Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle has shown mercy on 46 inmates who were serving different jail terms at the Gasua Medium Correctional Center. The state Commissioner for Justice Junaidu Attahir while addressing journalists after the pardon stated that the inmates were forgiven by the governor based on the committee's recommendations. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 46 inmates were carefully selected by the committee from different categories of sentences, including 46 inmates serving between six months and 20 years imprisonment, 11 inmates with life imprisonment, and five that are on death row.
Out of the screened inmates, 30 with sentences of between six months to 20 years and nine others with life imprisonment were set free through the intervention, while the five inmates on death row had their sentences reduced to seven years jail term.
Attahir noted that the governor had the power to pardon any convict as provided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The commissioner stressed that each of the 46 pardoned inmates was given the sum of N20,000 for clothing and transport fares.