ASHENEWS reports that a wave of outrage has swept through Gaba community in Lavun Local Government Area of Niger State following the controversial decision by Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago to grant state pardon to eleven individuals convicted for the murder of seven Gaba indigenes.
In a strongly worded open letter signed by the Public Relations Officer of the Gaba Development Association, Isah Baba and made available to ASHENEWS, the community accused Governor Bago of subverting justice and undermining the judiciary by using the powers of state pardon as a political tool.
“This action will earn you the reputation of being the first Governor in the history of Niger State to weaponize the power of state pardon to subvert and circumvent justice,” the letter read.
“It will go down in the history of Niger State as a reference point that in your tenure as Governor, you created a backdoor escape for convicted murderers and criminals.”
The convicted individuals had been found guilty of the gruesome murder of seven unarmed persons from Gaba, whose mutilated bodies and missing body parts shocked the entire community.
The incident, described as the most heinous crime in the area’s history, nearly sparked violent retaliation until community elders and concerned citizens intervened and allowed the judicial process to take its course.
The community expressed disbelief that after years of seeking justice, the convictions secured through painstaking legal and investigative efforts were overturned with the stroke of a pen.
They warned that the decision could embolden criminality and further erode public confidence in the justice system.
“It devalues the lives of the victims, disrespects their families, and tramples on the rights and memories of the deceased. Worse still, it sends a dangerous message that weighty crimes like murder can be wiped away with political discretion,” the letter stated.
Critics have also pointed out the irony of the governor’s recent imposition of a curfew on motorcycles and tricycles in Minna to tackle rising crime, while simultaneously granting freedom to convicted killers.
The Gaba Development Association is calling on the governor to urgently reconsider the pardon, restore respect for the judicial process, and prevent further escalation of tension in the state.
“We are afraid to state that the state has failed — first, to protect the lives of our people, and now, to give justice to them,” the letter concluded.
The Niger state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Nasiru Muhammad Muazu, during a press briefing on Tuesday had said that the state government js granting unconditional state pardon to 11 persons sentenced to death by a Minna High Court over a deadly communal clash between Gaba and Anfani communities in Lavun Local Government Area.
Muazu said that the pardon was granted in line with Section 212 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers the governor to exercise the prerogative of mercy.
He noted that the decision followed a plea submitted by the convicts, which was reviewed by the State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy.
“After careful consideration and on the advice of the council, the Governor signed the instrument of pardon on the 28th of May 2025,” Muazu said, adding that the pardon has been officially gazetted.
