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Tag: Nasir El-Rufai

  • APC Governors urge Gov. El-Rufai to return to negotiation table with NLC

    APC Governors urge Gov. El-Rufai to return to negotiation table with NLC

    The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) has urged Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State to return to negotiation table with Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to prevent the ongoing strike from crippling the state’s economy.

    Gov. Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi state and Chairman of the forum said this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

    “The PGF has been following unfolding development between NLC and Kaduna state government over the issue of rightsising local government employees with deep concerns.

    “Noting all the challenges facing all our states, especially given dwindling revenue, we appeal to all patriotic Nigerians, including the NLC, to demonstrate more commitment toward engaging governments at all levels to address problems.

    “This is not the time for muscle flexing,” Bagudu said, saying that Nigerians were already overstretched with many challenges.

    “At this critical point of our democratic journey, there could not be limits to engagement between all governments and citizens.”

    He said that every step must be taken to resolve the face up between the state government and NLC.

    “We appeal to NLC leadership to recognise that the burden of leadership is more about responding to challenges based on the honest disposition of correcting past mistakes.

    “As progressive governors, we share the vision of Kaduna state government of reforming all our local government councils to make them more efficient and consequently the pivot of critical development initiatives.

    “At the same time, we want to appeal to the state government under the leadership of our colleague, Malam Nasir El-Rufai to take all necessary steps to ensure the resolution of all disagreements in the larger interest of citizens in Kaduna state,” he said.

    Bagudu expressed confidence that both the state government and NLC would resolve all outstanding issues and restore industrial harmony in the state.

  • Kaduna Airport shut, businesses paralyzed as NLC, others dare El-Rufai

    Kaduna Airport shut, businesses paralyzed as NLC, others dare El-Rufai

    Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday morning gathered in Kaduna to protest the recent disengagement of over seven thousand civil servants at the state and local governments by the state government.

    In solidarity with the protest by the NLC, aviation workers have shut down operations of Kaduna International Airport (KIA) effective Sunday midnight.

    The workers, under the aegis of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), said the airport would remain shut for the period of the warning strike.

    National NLC Chairman, Ayuba Wabba, during the protest, said due process was not observed in the recent disengagement of the workers from the Local Government Service, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), and Primary Health Care Agency.

    He said further that all the unions including Student Unions and pensioners are part of the protest as they are all directly affected by the disengagement of workers.

    “All those that are here today are those that are directly affected. The students are here. The children of those workers that have been thrown out of their job and were not been paid, they are here with us.

    “The pensioners that were not being paid are here with us. They claim that local government employees were consulted. The Local Government Employees are here today, they have issued a statement to say that statement was false.

    “All leadership of public sector unions are here.

    “It is only Kaduna State of all the 36 states of the Federation that threw workers out of their jobs without due consultation or compensation,” the NLC Chairman said.

    Other affiliate unions including the National Union of Petroleum Employees of Nigeria (NUPENG), National Union of Electricity Employees of Nigeria (NUEE), National Union Of Textile, Tailoring and Garment Workers of Nigeria are also participating in the protest.

  • Release of Kaduna students: Buhari, El-Rufai ignored as parents thank Obasanjo, Abdulsalami

    Release of Kaduna students: Buhari, El-Rufai ignored as parents thank Obasanjo, Abdulsalami

    Parents of the 39 students kidnapped from the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, Afaka, Kaduna State, have ignored the State Governor and President Muhammadu Buhari and rather expressed thanks to former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the parents ignored Governor Nasir El-Rufai and expressed thanks, also to Abubakar Abdulsalami, Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Mahmud Gumi and the Provost of the College, Dr Usman.

    In a statement released by Malam Abdullahi Usman, Chairman of the Forum of parents of the 27 students of Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, and Mrs Catherine Y. Saleh, the Secretary, the parents thanked Obasanjo, Abdulsalami and Gumi for the various roles they played in securing the release of their children.

    In the statement, the parents identified other individuals who played one role or the other in securing the release of the 39 students.

    The statement reads: “We, the parents of the 27 students of Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, Afaka, Kaduna, have met and reviewed one of the most important matters in our lives, which is the release of our children by armed bandits.

    “You would recall that the students were abducted on 11th March, 2021. First and foremost, pertinent for us to effect an important correction on the number of the released students. They are 27, not 29, as reported by some nations media. The total abducted students were 39, out of which 2 (two) escaped not long after abduction, 10 were released in 2 batches of 5 each, leaving the remaining 27, who were released yesterday, Wednesday 5th May, 2021, 56 days after their abduction.

    “We, as parents, made several efforts to secure the release of the students. We even took our peaceful march to the National Assembly on Tuesday, 4th May, 2021, presented our plight and prayed for the intervention of the lawmakers in securing the release of our children.

    “We are grateful that we did not leave any stone unturned on the path to where we have arrived today. The 27 released students were received at a location in Kidanda, Giwa Local Government, and conveyed to Kaduna.

    “On arrival in Kaduna, they were taken to the Police College Clinic for medical checkup. Today, Thursday, 6th May, we will, by the grace God, we have received our children from the college authorities, after going through all necessary formalities.

    “We extend profound gratitude to all Nigerians and lovers of humanity at home and abroad who showed up and showed out in solidarity as we went through the dark horrendous period of waiting and hoping for the return of our children.

    “We are unable to thank nearly enough every one who stood by us and for the sacrifices you made in your various capacities financially, morally, spiritually and otherwise.

    “We most especially register our immense gratitude to former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, and Abubakar Abdulsalami, Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Mahmud Gumi, and the Provost of the College, Dr Usman, for the various roles they played in securing the release of our children.

    “We appreciate immensely the students and staff of the Institution for their relentless solidarity. We thank Barr Gloria Mabeiam Ballason and the House of Justice crew, Channels TV, BBC, DW Radio, the NUJ, Kaduna Chapel, Comrades Deji Adeyanju, Omoyele Sowore, Steven Kefas , and others too numerous to mention. Special thanks to The Ordinary President, Ahmed Isah of Berekete Radio/TV programme.

    “The journey is not yet over because our children will definitely require rehabilitation to overcome the trauma that accompanies such ugly experiences.

    “We therefore call the Minister of Environment, the Managements of FRIN and the College of Forestry Mechanisation, to ensure that all the students are well rehabilitated so that they may get back to normal life again and continue with their education.

    “We pray for the repose of the soul of Malam Ibrahim, one of the parents of the abducted students, who died as a result of the trauma that resulted from the abduction of his daughter. We also pray for the souls of the 5 Greenfield University students who were killed by their abductors and ask God to grant the remaining students speedy release because we understand what the parents are passing through.

    “We call on government to get more serious and aggressively pursue safe schooling as a pertinent agenda so as to give parents the confidence to send their children to school because if the schools remain as security porous as they now are, many may not find it worth the trouble to enroll their children in schools anymore.

    “Finally, we thank God Almighty for the victory he has granted us. He has done for us what no man can do. We thank you sincerely and pray that Kaduna State and Nigeria will return back to the days where we can all sleep with our two eyes closed”.

  • Why Jonathan’s govt faced civic pressures – Gov El-Rufai

    Why Jonathan’s govt faced civic pressures – Gov El-Rufai

    …says Nigeria’s problems have evolved since 2014

    Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has opened up on the context under which civic pressures were brought on the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Muyiwa Adekeye, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication made this known in the statement on Tuesday.

    This is following an old video of Governor El-Rufai that re-surfaced on the Internet in which the Governor was seen critically criticising Jonathan.

    El-Rufai in the video was seen calling on the then president Jonathan to use all options, including negotiation, to rescue the Chibok girls.

    Negotiation, a stance the Governor is presently against, and which he himself is presently facing criticisms for.

    A statement released by the Special Adviser to the Governor, quoted El-Rufai to have said Nigeria’s journey since the 2014 Chibok tragedy has proven that the solution to violent crimes, including terrorism and banditry is not to negotiate.

    He stated that the quantum of money paid as ransom following many negotiations with bandits have not stopped kidnappings, reduced their frequency or deterred the criminals.

    He also stated that the Governor’s suggestion years ago cannot be taken as the immutable answer to Nigeria’s problems, which he said has evolved since 2014.

    The statement reads: “Amidst the violence unleashed by criminal elements on the people of Kaduna State, some commentators have responded by blaming KDSG for asserting that the duty of the state is to uphold the law and not to reward hoodlums for violating the lives, property and liberties of citizens.

    “Those pushing that kind of narrative are sharing a video clip of a 2014 interview in which Malam Nasir El-Rufai called on the government of President Goodluck Jonathan to use all options, including negotiation, to rescue the Chibok girls.

    “The years since 2014 may have led some people to forget the denial and doubt that defined the FG’s response to the Chibok abductions, especially the initial refusal to acknowledge that it happened. That was the context under which civic pressures were brought on the government.

    “Nigeria’s journey since the 2014 Chibok tragedy has proven that the solution to violent crimes, including terrorism and banditry, is a robust response from the state and its coercive agencies.

    “The quantum of money paid as ransom following many negotiations with bandits have not stopped kidnappings, reduced their frequency or deterred the criminals.

    “The experience of many states in the Northwest of Nigeria since 2015 has included cattle rustling, kidnappings, killings and the devastation of communities by criminals.

    “Several states sought to negotiate their way out of the problems by talking to bandits, paying them money or offering them amnesty. This has not worked and has only encouraged the criminals to press ahead for a surrender of the public treasury to them. That is clearly not in the public interest.

    “Mass abduction was like in novelty in 2014. But the facts have changed since then. Negotiations and ransoms have been undertaken, but these have not stopped the criminals. It has only encouraged them.

    “It is only prudent to review one’s position when the facts change, and the suggestion made by a citizen years ago cannot be taken as the immutable answer to a serious problem which has evolved since 2014, no matter the viral replays of the said video clip.

    “The Kaduna State Government has been consistently transparent about its security challenges. It has supported and continues to resource the security agencies in the state.

    “We are engaging the Federal Government to have security responses that move away from reactive response of repelling bandits towards a comprehensive, proactive offensive that takes the battle to the criminals and uproots them.

    “As a sub-national, with no direct control of any of the security agencies, we cannot make this task more difficult by giving criminals the resources to acquire more arms.

    “KDSG regrets the recent kidnaps and killings of students from tertiary institutions in our state, and we sympathize with their families with whom we share the aim of the safe return of all the students.

    “We mourn the dead students and we offer our condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. The ruthless and heartless resort of the kidnappers to murdering these young persons is part of their effort to further their blackmail and compel us to abandon our ‘no-ransom, no-negotiation’ policy.

    “Are people bothering with the consequences of state surrender to hoodlums, or is the continued politicization of security challenges not going to make all of us ultimately victims of the insurgents?

    “The fact that criminals seek to hold us by the jugular does not mean we should surrender and create an incentive for more crime.

    “In today’s Nigeria, it has become fashionable to treat the unlawful demands of bandits as worthy of consideration and to lampoon people who insist that outlaws should be crushed and not mollycoddled or availed the resources they can use to unleash further outrages”.

  • Outrage as old video shows Gov El-Rufai calling for negotiation with terrorists

    Outrage as old video shows Gov El-Rufai calling for negotiation with terrorists

    An old video that shows Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai calling on ex-president Goodluck Jonathan to negotiate with Boko Haram for the release of Chibok girls has re-surfaced on the Internet.

    The video has sparked an outrage, while reactions continue to trail the ongoing attacks and abductions of citizens in Kaduna State given the stance of the State Government not to negotiate with bandits.

    Governor El-Rufai in the old video expressed his support for negotiation with terrorists which is contrary to his current stance as Kaduna State Governor.

    “Whatever it takes to rescue those girls should be done. If one of these girls was Jonathan’s daughter the story will be different, the only reason these girls are still in captivity is because they are not the daughter of any important man in Nigeria and we know it,” the Governor said in the video.

    He added: “…if you say am politicising terrorism then go and rescue the girls so that I don’t have the basis to politicise it.

    “I am in support of every option, when you have lives of your citizens at risk, you should not take any option off the table, you should be flexible, you should listen, you should negotiate and look the price you have to pay and get those girls out, you should not say you won’t do this, you won’t do that, it’s irresponsible”.

    Governor El-Rufai has been under more pressure to negotiate with bandits following the most recent attack involving the students of Greenfield University Kaduna.

    The attack led to the kidnapping of an unspecified number of students amongst which five have so far been killed.

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  • Why I left my busy schedule for Kaduna State – Pastor Adeboye

    Why I left my busy schedule for Kaduna State – Pastor Adeboye

    General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye has opened up on his visit to Kaduna State.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Pastor Adeboye as saying he was in the State to see his Children who God delivered from the den of the kidnappers.

    Recall that a busload of members of the RCCG were kidnapped by gunmen in the State recently.

    They were kidnapped on their way to Kachia in preparation for the church’s Let’s Go a Fishing Easter programme. However, the members, 8 in numbers, were later released without payment of ransom.

    “Earlier today, I decided to go out of my schedule to see my Children who God delivered from the den of the kidnappers while they were on their way to the venue of the Lets Go Fishing Exercise.

    “To the Glory of God, they are hail and healthy,” Pastor Adeboye said.

    He further said: “Before leaving, The Governor appealed to me to visit the State house in Kaduna to pray for the state, its people and its leadership for peace and protection after laying hands on my Children who were sick.

    “It is my prayer that the peace of and kingdom of God will be established in Kaduna State and our nation Nigeria and all locations where the children of God are across the world in JESUS name (AMEN)”.

  • Kaduna Govt advises sacked workers on what to do

    Kaduna Govt advises sacked workers on what to do

    The Kaduna State Government has advised workers disengaged in the State to take advantage of the State Government’s various agricultural and entrepreneurship development schemes.

    The Kaduna State Government gave the advice in a statement released by Muyiwa Adekeye, Special Adviser to Governor Nasir El-Rufai on Media and Communication.

    According to the statement, those disengaged that are willing to take advantage of the state government’s various agricultural and entrepreneurship development schemes would be given preferential treatment.

    The Kaduna State Government acknowledged that the disengagements may have short-term psychological and financial impacts on the persons affected.

    “Therefore, KDSG will not only work with the Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) to expedite payments of any contributory pension benefits due to those so entitled to them but will also give preferential treatment to those disengaged that are willing to take advantage of the state government’s various agricultural and entrepreneurship development schemes,” the statement reads.

    The statement titled: KDSG Statement on disengagements in the public service reads in full:

    In September 2019, the Kaduna State Government became the first government in the country to pay the new minimum wage and consequential adjustments. The state government followed this up by increasing the minimum pension of persons on the defined benefits scheme to N30,000 monthly.

    This step to advance the welfare of workers significantly increased the wage burden of the state government and immediately sapped up the funds of many local governments. While the Kaduna State Government believes that public sector wages overall are still relatively low, their current levels are obviously limited by the resources available to the government. What each public servant earns might be puny in comparison to private sector wages, but the total wage bill consumes much of the revenues of the state. The desire to pay more is a sentiment that must bow to the limits prescribed by the ability to pay.

    Kaduna State public finances have been severely stretched by the higher wage bills at a time when revenues from the Federation Account allocations Committee (FAAC) have not increased. KDSG has made significant progress in increasing its collection of internally generated revenue (IGR). Without hiking tax rates, the state government has almost quadrupled IGR from about N13bn in 2015 to over N50bn in 2020.

    What the Kaduna State Government receives from FAAC since the middle of 2020, like most other sub-nationals, can barely pay salaries and overheads. In November 2020, KDSG had only N162.9m left after paying salaries. That month, Kaduna State got N4.83bn from FAAC and paid N4.66bn as wages.

    In the last six months, personnel costs have accounted for between 84.97% and 96.63% of FAAC transfers received by the Kaduna State Government. In March 2021, Kaduna State had only N321m left after settling personnel costs. That month, the state got N4.819bn from FAAC and paid out N4.498bn, representing 93% of the money received. This does not include standing orders for overheads, funding security operations, running costs of schools and hospitals, and other overhead costs that the state has to bear for the machinery of government to run, for which the state government taps into IGR earnings.

    This Kaduna State Government was elected to develop the state, not just to pay the salaries of public servants. It was elected to promote equality of opportunity, to build and run schools and hospitals, upgrade infrastructure and make the state more secure and attractive to the private sector for jobs and investments. Under the leadership of Malam Nasir El-Rufai, the Kaduna State Government is faithfully implementing this mandate, amidst challenges and constraints.

    The government is an institution organised to deliver public goods, not to minister solely to the interests of the persons employed to help deliver mandate. Therefore, the state government has no choice but to shed some weight and reduce the size of the public service. It is a painful but necessary step to take, for the sake of the majority of the people of this state. The public service of the state with less than 100,000 employees (and their families) cannot be consuming more than 90% of government resources, with little left to positively impact the lives of the more than 9 million that are not political appointees or civil servants. It is gross injustice for such a micro-minority to consume the majority of the resources of the State.

    Measures taken to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic have shown clearly that the public service requires much fewer persons than it currently employs. The public service is an important institution, and it should therefore maintain only an optimum size. Faced with a difficult situation, the Kaduna State Government is persuaded that it cannot refuse to act or act in ways that only conduce to populist sentiment, without solving the fundamental problem. The redundancies to be declared will affect political appointees and civil servants, and its purpose is to save funds and ensure that a strong and efficient public service exists to use those resources to implement progressive programmes and projects for the people, and thereby develop the state.

    While seeking the responsibility to lead Kaduna State during the 2015 elections, Malam Nasir El-Rufai ran on a manifesto that included a commitment to a strong public service. The Kaduna State Government has therefore made it clear that the progress and future of the state depends on a competent public service, lean in size but super-efficient in conceiving programmes and delivering services, savvy with modern technology and well connected to the public it serves. In pursuit of this goal, KDSG launched the public service reform and revitalisation programme in 2016.

    This was in line with the Kaduna State Government’s announcement at inception in May 2015 that it is determined to eliminate waste and ensure that government resources serve a majority of citizens rather than the few persons working for government, including political appointees and other public servants.

    Therefore, KDSG began conducting verification of civil servants in 2015 to help ensure the integrity of the government payroll and weed out ghost workers. This verification needed to be a continuous exercise, undertaken at intervals to check and maintain the integrity of the personnel records.

    The state government also signalled its discomfort at the high recurrent costs of the state, which meant that most public funds went into paying the wages of less than 100,000 public servants in a state with close to 10m people. While affirming the principle that those who work must be paid, the state government also asserted its recognition of the obligation to ensure that the people of the state must also be served by their government.

    As part of the 2016 public service reform process, KDSG also reviewed salaries and was ready to announce new wages before the FG announced in 2018 that it was initiating a new national minimum wage process. It was that early preparation that enabled the Kaduna State Government to promptly comply with the new national minimum wage before any other government could or did.

    In these tough times, government cannot encourage the illusion that the public service can be immune from the measures required to cope with the reality of low revenues. The extent of these required actions is being worked out at the State and Local Government levels, based on very transparent and objective criteria across all the three branches of the Government. The stories circulating in the social media about pruning local government personnel to 50, converting junior staff to casual staff and the like are false and should therefore be disregarded. These false claims are a rehash of the contents of a forged letter that was circulated just prior to the 2019 elections. Each and every decision taken will be in full compliance with the Kaduna State Public Service Law and any regulations made pursuant thereto, and other extant laws.

    Government realises that the disengagements may have short-term psychological and financial impacts on the persons to be affected. Therefore, KDSG will not only work with the Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) to expedite payments of any contributory pension benefits due to those so entitled to them but will also give preferential treatment to those disengaged that are willing to take advantage of the state government’s various agricultural and entrepreneurship development schemes. KDSG appeals for the understanding of everyone in Kaduna State and urges officers that may be affected to embrace alternatives in the private sector.

  • Gov El-Rufai faces attack from parents of 39 students kidnapped from Kaduna college

    Gov El-Rufai faces attack from parents of 39 students kidnapped from Kaduna college

    Parents of the 39 students kidnapped from the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka in Kaduna State have criticized the State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai very harshly.

    The parents, during a press conference addressed on Monday by their Chairman, Sam Kambai and Secretary, Comrade Sanni Friday, revealed that they were yet to receive any words of empathy or assurance from the government.

    They also stated that they were yet to see any action from the government to inspire confidence that something is being done to secure the safe release of their children.

    Recall that 39 students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka in Kaduna State were abducted on 11th March, 2021 in their hostels.

    “Today makes it 25 dreary and excruciatingly difficult days since our children have been in captivity. We have not received any words of empathy or assurance from Government nor have we seen any action to inspire confidence that something is being done to secure the safe release of our children.

    “For the record, the Governor of Kaduna State has never addressed the parents of these students from the first day of the incident until now. They have shown no concern about the trauma the parents have been enduring.

    “After we organised a peaceful protest during which we addressed a press conference on 22nd March, 2021, we got audience with a Government official where they stated categorically that the Kaduna State Government will not negotiate with the bandits for the release of the students.

    “We were clear that as parents, we cannot sit on our hands and do nothing and that we would do everything within our capacity to ensure the safe release of our children. It was on that note that we left the meeting.

    “We wish to reiterate that we will do everything within our power, everything humanly possible, with the help of God, to ensure that our children do not perish.

    “Let us be clear, it is first and foremost due to the failure of government to live up to its primary responsibility of securing life and property that we have this ugly development in our hands.

    “For government to not do everything to secure the release of the students 25 days after their abduction, and for government to keep the parents in the dark as to what it is doing, if any at all, smacks of gross insensitivity.

    “We observe with disappointment that in the Easter message by the Governor, there was no mention whatsoever of the students or any assurance of what government is doing to ensure their release. For us it was a confirmation of our fear that the government has abandoned our children.

    “We can never abandon our children and we will do whatever we can to see that we get them back.

    “Furthermore, we read in the media the statement credited to the Commissioner of Internal Security, Mr Samuel Aruwan, to the end that anyone who negotiates the release of the students will be prosecuted. For us the statement is unfortunate and another demonstration of callousness on the part of the government. We have been beaten, and we are now forced not to cry. We are the parents of these children and if their lives mean nothing to the government, they mean everything to us.

    “Recall that the father of one of the abducted parents, Mallam Ibrahim Shamaki, passed on due to shock upon receiving the news of the kidnap of his daughter and her continued stay in captivity. Many parents have come down with high blood pressure as well. May the soul of Mallam Ibrahim Shamaki rest in peace and we pray for quick recovery of those who are ill on account of this development. We do not want to lose more parents, and since government has shown us no empathy nor communicated to us on the fate of our children, we will not resign to fate by doing nothing. We will continue to do our best until we have our children back.

    “Therefore, we are not intimidated by the threat of prosecution. We call on all Nigerians and the international Community to support us in our efforts for the safe return to us of our children soonest,” the parents stated.

  • Two killed in Southern Kaduna as troops foil attack

    Two killed in Southern Kaduna as troops foil attack

    Troops of the operation safe haven have foiled an attack by unknown gunmen in Kizachi Village, Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

    The attack led to the death of two residents of the community, Musa Garba and Yakubu Yawo.

    State commissioner for internal Security and Home Affairs Samuel Aruwan disclosed this in a press statement made available to TNG on Tuesday.

    According to Mr Aruwan two people were also injured in the attack.

    He said the victims were ambushed by the attackers between Bakin Kogi Village and Narido Village as they made their way from Baking Kogi Market.

    ”Governor Nasir El-Rufai has tasked security agencies to ensure a detailed investigation into the incident,” Aruwan said.

  • Gov el-Rufai sets 12 prisoners free in Kaduna

    Gov el-Rufai sets 12 prisoners free in Kaduna

    Gov. Nasir El Rufai of Kaduna State has granted pardon to 12 prisoners in the state to mark the beginning of 2021.

    This is contained in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Mr Muyiwa Adekeye, on Friday, in Kaduna.

    Adekeye said that the pardon was in exercise of the powers conferred on the governor by Section 212 of the Constitution, on the recommendation of the state Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy.

    He said that those pardoned included 10 convicts who were serving sentences of three years and above, with six months or less to the end of their term.

    Adekeye said that the two other convicts were pardoned on age ground.

    The Special Adviser said that the governor also commuted sentences of three other convicts to five years for good conducts.

    “The governor has also commuted the death sentence of one Joshua Yashim to life imprisonment,” Adekeye said, explaining that the convict was sentenced to death by hanging for culpable homicide on June 9, 2011.

    ‘’He has been in prison since 2007 when the offence was committed and has spent 13 years there. He did not appeal due to lack of resources,” he said.