The Human Rights Watchdog in Africa (HRWA) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately declare a state of emergency in Zamfara State following reports that dozens of inmates convicted for banditry and related offences were recently freed from the Gusau Correctional Centre.

The organisation alleged that Governor Dauda Lawal, in September, approved a “secret state pardon” that facilitated the release of 69 convicted bandits under a programme reportedly executed through the State Zakat and Endowment Board and tagged “Religious Amnesty.”

HRWA Executive Director, Samson Adamu, said in a statement yesterday that the development has deepened anxiety among residents already grappling with recurring attacks, kidnappings and communal clashes.

According to him, among those allegedly freed were eight inmates remanded in January 2022 for serious crimes including criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, trafficking in human parts and other violent offences.

Adamu said the move, which involved inmates convicted under former governors Abdul’aziz Yari and Bello Matawalle, raised fresh concerns about the state government’s seriousness in combating insecurity.

He accused Governor Lawal of “downplaying the gravity of the crisis” and called for urgent federal intervention to restore public confidence.

“These developments have left many communities in fear and confusion. If the state government cannot guarantee the safety of its citizens, then the President must exercise emergency powers to restore order,” he said.

The group urged President Tinubu to suspend the governor, restructure the state’s security architecture and order an independent probe into the alleged pardon programme, warning that failure to act could worsen Zamfara’s fragile security situation.