Just In: Community Rejects Niger State Government’s Pardon For Convicts In 2018 Farm Killings
Published Thursday, June 5, 2025
The Gaba Community in Lavun Local Government Area of Niger State has expressed strong opposition to the recent pardon granted by the state government to 11 individuals convicted and sentenced to death for their involvement in the 2018 killing of seven local farmers.
At a press conference in Minna on Thursday, Paul Gana, Chairman of the Gaba Development Association, condemned the pardon, warning that it could reignite tensions between the Gaba and Amfani communities.
“The victims were denied justice by such pardon,” Gana said, urging the government to revoke the decision and respect the court’s ruling. He further warned that the pardon risks triggering another conflict and left the victims’ families feeling deeply betrayed.
The 11 individuals were convicted by Justice Maimuna A. Abubakar of the Niger State High Court on February 2, 2022, following a four-year legal process. The detailed 779-page judgment sentenced them to death by hanging for conspiracy and culpable homicide related to the violent farm attack that also injured two others.
However, on May 28, 2025, Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago granted an unconditional pardon to the convicts as part of a broader peace initiative aimed at resolving communal clashes between the Gaba and Amfani communities.
The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Nasiru Mu’azu, announced the pardon during a briefing at the Government House in Minna. He explained that the decision followed consultations with the State Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy and was officially gazetted.
Mu’azu emphasized that the pardon was intended to foster reconciliation and lasting peace in the region.
The individuals pardoned are:
