Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, has granted executive clemency to 94 inmates and reduced the sentences of seven others serving in different correctional facilities in the state.
The Governor announced the decision in his Independence Day address to the people of Kogi State on Thursday, saying the gesture was particularly significant as Nigeria marked 66 years of independence.
He described the decision as an exercise of constitutional compassion, rehabilitation and the possibility of responsible reintegration into society.
Governor Ododo said the decision followed a careful review by the Kogi State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy, inaugurated on September 2, 2026, under the chairmanship of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Muizudeen Abdullahi.
He noted that the Council reviewed relevant records, correctional reports and representations from inmates and convicts, and visited correctional centres in Koton Karfe, Kabba, Dekina, Ankpa, Idah and Okene before making its recommendations.
According to the Governor, considerations included age, health conditions, conduct in custody, remorse, rehabilitation, vocational training, family support, interests of victims, public safety and the broader interests of justice.
“Freedom is inseparable from responsibility. Justice gives society order, but mercy gives humanity its conscience,” Ododo said, stressing that the exercise of mercy did not diminish the seriousness of the offences for which beneficiaries were convicted.
The 94 inmates who received pardons include persons granted mercy on grounds of old age and medical grounds, as well as others whose cases were considered on the basis of good conduct, rehabilitation, remorsefulness and compassionate circumstances.
Among those in the first category are 91-year-old Lamidi Mohammed Garuba, Ajagbonna Olufemi David, 72, and several inmates facing serious medical conditions.
The Governor also approved remission of sentences for seven persons, including Tunde Adura, whose sentence was reduced to eight years from the date of conviction, while Olusaye Moses Abayomi, Abu Mowde and Zakariyau Baba had their sentences reduced to three years. Michael Ojonugwa’s sentence was reduced to four years, while Rami Sadiq and Salawudeen Sanusi had theirs reduced to three years.
Gov. Ododo said the clemency represents a second opportunity that must be matched with responsible conduct.
“You have been given another opportunity, and every second opportunity comes with a greater responsibility. Do not return to crime. Do not abuse the mercy extended to you,” he said.
The Governor also used the Independence anniversary to call on Kogi citizens to reject criminality, warning against kidnapping, armed robbery, fraud, cultism, drug-related offences and other crimes.
He urged young people to pursue education, vocational skills, enterprise, integrity and hard work rather than the temptation of quick wealth.
On Nigeria’s 66th Independence anniversary, Ododo commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what he described as efforts to reposition the country’s economy and strengthen infrastructure, education, agriculture, energy, healthcare and social investment.
He said Kogi State would continue to align with the national development agenda while exploiting its strategic position in agriculture, mineral resources and human capital development to create opportunities for its people.
“Nations are not built in a day. They are built decision by decision, sacrifice by sacrifice and generation by generation. The Nigeria we desire is possible. The Kogi State we desire is possible. But possibility becomes reality only when hope is matched with action,” the Governor declared.
Ododo called for unity, peace and collective responsibility, urging Kogi people to protect the state’s stability and development irrespective of political, religious, ethnic or social differences.
“Politics will come and go. Administrations will come and go. But Kogi State will remain our common home. Let us therefore protect it. Let us build it. Let us speak well of it. Let us invest in it,” he said, while congratulating Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora on the 66th Independence anniversary.
