Gov Bello Pays N20 Million Fine To Free 24 Convicts, 80 Inmates In Niger State

Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, has pardoned no fewer than 24 convicts in the state as a parting gift.

Bello was elected into office in 2015, and his second tenure in government would elapse in a few days from today.

On Friday, the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Nasara Danmallam, announced that the Governor, as a parting gift sponsored the freedom of prison inmates who had already been sentenced to death.

Bello also paid N20 million in fines for 80 other inmates to secure their release, Danmallam revealed.

“As a parting gift, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello has granted pardon to 24 inmates across the state under his powers of the prerogative of mercy. Some of them have been on the death roll whose sentences have been commuted to a few years of prison term,” the Attorney General disclosed while transferring the responsibilities of the Ministry of Justice to its Permanent Secretary that the pardons had been granted.

Six of the beneficiaries of the pardon were civil servants who had been convicted of fraud and related offenses and had been dismissed from their positions. Danmallam stated that six dismissed civil servants were reinstated as beneficiaries of the pardon. Those who had reached retirement age would be retired with full benefits. Danmallam also mentioned that 115 bills and legal instruments had been promulgated into law during the outgoing Governor’s eight-year administration.

“The Ministry also initiated Gender Issues Department mandated to handle spouse disagreements using alternative dispute resolution mechanism,” Danmallam revealed.

On his part, the Director of the Department, Maro Mohammed Mann, revealed that his office had received 1,500 cases in 2020. They had successfully resolved 1,400 of these cases and reunited the individuals involved with their families.