The Gaba Development Association in Lavun Local Council, Niger State, has condemned the recent state pardon granted to 11 individuals sentenced to death for the 2018 killing of seven unarmed members of the Gaba community.
The convicts had been found guilty of conspiracy and culpable homicide following a brutal attack on local farmers, which also left two others severely injured. After years of legal proceedings, Justice Maimuna A. Abubakar of the Niger State High Court handed down a death sentence on February 2, 2022, in a comprehensive 779-page judgment.
During a press briefing in Minna, the Chairman of the Gaba Development Association, Mr Paul Gana, appealed to Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago to reverse the amnesty, describing the decision as a painful betrayal to the victims’ families and a threat to community peace.
“People are mourning in Gaba as we speak,” Gana said. “We were not consulted in any of the so-called peace meetings. Granting pardon to murderers without our input undermines justice and reconciliation.”
He warned that the decision could destabilise Gaba and surrounding areas, reigniting community tensions.
In response, the Niger State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Nasiru Mu’azu, defended the pardon during a media briefing at the Government House. He stated that the convicts were involved in a communal conflict between the Gaba and Amfani communities, and the decision to pardon them was made under the governor’s constitutional authority, following recommendations by the State Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy.
“The pardon, signed on May 28, 2025, has been officially gazetted,” Mu’azu said, adding that it is part of a wider peacebuilding effort.
The eleven individuals granted clemency are Mohammed Mohammed, Ndana Alhaji Sheshi, Isah Baba Madu, Mohammed Mohammed Nda Bida, Abubakar Baba Salihu, Baba Mohammed Shaba, Adamu Mohammed Baba, Haruna Muhammed, Isah Mohammed Alhaji Inuwa, Ibrahim Mohammed, and Mohammed Isah.
The Gaba Development Association maintains that justice must not be sacrificed for political expediency, warning that such decisions could weaken public trust in the justice system and threaten lasting peace in the region.
