Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State has granted state and partial pardons to 66 inmates at the Maiduguri Maximum Custodial Centre, as part of activities marking the 2025 Democracy Day.
The gesture, announced during the governor’s visit to the facility, includes full pardons for some inmates, commutation of death sentences to life imprisonment, and reductions in jail terms for others. The action followed recommendations from the state’s Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy.
Governor Zulum said the decision aimed to encourage rehabilitation and reintegration of deserving inmates, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to justice reform and humane corrections.
In a further show of support, the governor announced plans to upgrade the custodial centre’s vocational training unit, introducing literacy, numeracy, and digital skills programmes to aid inmate reformation and self-reliance upon release.
In addition, he donated 300 bags of rice, 50 jerrycans of cooking oil, and five cows, and gave N20,000 to each of the 1,280 inmates currently held at the facility, to improve their welfare.
Governor Zulum urged the inmates to embrace reform and maintain discipline, adding that their future depends on the choices they make during their time in custody.
The Controller of the Borno State Correctional Service, Ahmed Bawa, commended the governor’s unprecedented intervention, describing it as a milestone in the history of the facility.
In a vote of thanks, the inmates’ representative, Daniel Simon, expressed appreciation on behalf of the inmates, noting that Zulum’s goodwill and commitment to inclusive governance were being felt even behind bars.