The Human Rights Watchdog in Africa (HRWA) has demanded that President Bola Tinubu declare a state of emergency in the troubled northwest state, accusing Governor Dauda Lawal of fueling insecurity through reckless political gamesmanship and a blatant disregard for human life.
The urgent call, issued on November 28, 2025, comes in direct response to explosive reports that over 500 inmates convicted of banditry-related offences—many jailed under previous administrations—have been mysteriously released from the Gusau Correctional Facility.
Insiders at the facility revealed that among the freed prisoners were 69 hardened bandits who allegedly received a secret state pardon from Governor Lawal as far back as September 2025.
Further details emerged that these ex-inmates were funnelled through the Zamfara State Zakat and Endowment Board for “religious amnesty,” ostensibly to aid their reintegration into society.
Compounding the outrage, sources confirmed that eight suspects remanded in January 2022 for heinous crimes—including criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, dealing in human parts, and cannibalism—were among those who benefited from what HRWA described as Lawal’s “backdoor amnesty.”
The releases, tied to convictions from the tenures of former Governor Senator Abdul’aziz Yari and ex-Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle (now Minister of State Defence), have plunged thousands of Zamfara residents into “a serious circle of confusion and fear,” with communities bracing for a potential resurgence of violence.
HRWA Executive Director Samson Adamu, in a fiery statement, lambasted Lawal for treating the state’s rampant banditry crisis as a mere political football.
“This is sacrilegious and totally against humanity,” Adamu declared. “Governor Lawal has never truly taken the insecurity plaguing Zamfara seriously—always playing politics while our people bleed.
“Since he assumed office, things have deteriorated catastrophically: villages razed, families torn apart, and now this betrayal by unleashing convicted killers back onto our streets under the guise of amnesty.”
Adamu accused Governor Lawal of empty boasts about ending banditry “in two months” while secretly shielding perpetrators.
“It’s a mockery of justice and a death sentence for innocent civilians. How can a leader who claims to know every bandit kingpin’s hideout—down to their phone locations—then pardon the very monsters terrorising his people?
“This isn’t governance; it’s complicity. Lawal’s actions have emboldened criminals, eroded trust in the system, and turned Zamfara into a bandit haven. If he won’t protect his citizens, President Tinubu must step in—now.”
The watchdog urged Tinubu to invoke emergency powers under the Nigerian Constitution to suspend Lawal, overhaul the state’s security apparatus, and launch a federal probe into the pardons. “Sanction him hard,” Adamu emphasised.
“Strip away his authority before more blood is spilled. HRWA stands with the voiceless victims of Zamfara; we will not rest until accountability prevails.”
