Zulum Grants Pardon to 66 Inmates in Borno, provides support to 1,280 others

By: Our Reporter

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has granted state and partial pardons to 66 inmates serving various prison terms at the Maiduguri Maximum Custodial Centre. The governor also commuted death sentences to life imprisonment and reduced jail terms for other inmates.

Zulum made the announcement on Thursday during a visit to the facility as part of his engagements to mark the 2025 Democracy Day celebrations.

He stated that the decision followed recommendations from the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy and pledged continued support for the inmates.

“Based on the powers conferred on me under Section 212 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, I hereby grant state and partial pardons to 66 inmates of the Maximum Custodial Centre,” Zulum declared.

“I have also commuted death sentences to life imprisonment and reduced the jail terms of some other inmates as part of activities to celebrate this year’s Democracy Day,” he added.

Governor Zulum further announced plans to strengthen the vocational training centre within the facility, providing intensive literacy, numeracy, and digital skills programmes for inmates.

“I have directed the Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation to liaise with the management of Maiduguri Maximum Custodial Centre to enhance the vocational training centre, ensuring the provision of intensive literacy, numeracy and digital skills. This will enable inmates to acquire valuable skills while serving their sentences,” he said.

Additionally, the governor donated 300 bags of rice, 50 jerrycans of cooking oil and five cows, along with a cash gift of N20,000 to each of the 1,280 inmates to improve their living conditions.

“Let me clarify that the N20,000 cash assistance will be handed over to officials of the Correctional Centre, as stipulated by law, but you will have access to it whenever needed,” he. emphasised.

Governor Zulum urged the inmates to maintain good conduct and refrain from actions that could disrupt the peace and progress of the state.

Earlier, the Controller of Borno State Correctional Service, Ahmed Bawa, commended the governor for his unprecedented support to the facility and its inmates, describing it as first of its kind.

“This is the first time in history that we have received such immense support from Borno State Government under the leadership of Professor Babagana Umara Zulum. In May this year, the governor provided the facility with 100 bags of rice, 20 cartons of cooking oil and 10 bulls. Today, he has visited us again. On behalf of the management, staff, and inmates, we are deeply grateful,” Bawa remarked.

In his vote of thanks, the Sarki of the inmates, Daniel Simon, commended Gov. Zulum’s magnanimity, expressing their pleasure that the dividends of the good governance of Prof. Zulum is being felt even in the correctional centre.

Zulum Grants Pardon to 66 Inmates in Borno, provides support to 1,280 others

Democracy Day: Zulum appears 5:00 am at hospitals, donates cash

… Commissions 20 road projects, begins 2 hospitals

By: Our Reporter

Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has made an early morning visit to hospitals on Thursday in Maiduguri, arriving at the State Specialist Hospital at 5:00 a.m, sympathising with patients and donating cash support to commemorate Nigeria’s 2025 Democracy Day.

The Governor donated N50,000 cash to each patient in the Gynaecology, antenatal, postnatal and gynae emergency wards.

Interacting with the patients, Zulum re-echoed his commitment towards providing improved healthcare services to the people of Borno.

Governor Zulum also visited the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, providing the same gestures to support the ill people, meeting their medical bills.

… Commissions 20 road projects, begins 2 hospitals

Meanwhile, Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, will commission 20 road projects executed by his administration in commemoration of the 2025 Democracy Day.

The Governor will also mark the commencement of two hospital projects and an international conference centre in Maiduguri and Jere Local Government areas.

The hospitals include Borno Orthopaedic Hospital, cited in Goni Kachallari, and a new General Hospital in Kaleri, all in Jere Local Government Area.

In the six years of his administration, Zulum has undertaken more than 1,000 projects in education, healthcare, agriculture, road networks, water and environment among other critical projects.

Democracy Day: Zulum appears 5:00 am at hospitals, donates cash

ABIA EX-MILAD DENOUNCES MARGINALIZATION OF OKPE KINGDOM

· RECOUNTS HOW OBOREVWORI EMERGED AS GOVERNOR

· ATTRIBUTES URHOBO AGENDA TO OKPE BACKWARDNESS

· SLAMS UGHELLI LEADERS OVER SCRAMBLE FOR GOVERNORSHIP SLOT

· URGES OKPE LEADERS TO BRACE UP FOR 2027 CHALLENGE

By: Our Reporter

Air Vice Marshal (rtd) Frank Ajobena may have stirred another round of controversy among Delta political leaders where he observed that the Okpe Nation was the least in the pecking order in Delta Central.

‘’There is a pecking order in the state. Every time something good comes to Delta Central, it has to go first to the Ughelli people. The next in the pecking order are the Ethiope East people, the Agbon people. The Okpe, who are majority, are the least in the pecking order. You could see it even when the contest for the governorship was on. There was a gang up. They didn’t want an Okpe person to be governor. It took a lot of canvassing and the grace of God for the Okpe person to emerge as governor. That position is still being contested by those by those who think they are born to rule Delta State’’

Ajobena spoke in Lagos at the 95th anniversary of Okpe Union.

‘’The identity of a people is fundamental to their emancipation. If you look at the Bible, the issue of identity was the reason Jesus Christ came to the earth. If you look at Psalm 82, verses 5-7. They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the Most High. But ye shall die like men and fall like one of the princes. Each time Jesus Christ tries to introduce man as a divinity, they try to stone him’’.

The military administrator of Abia State from 28th August 1991 until January 1992 maintained that Okpe was not Urhobo.

‘’The issue of identity is fundamental. I don’t know why our brothers are apprehensive of Okpe establishing itself as a nationality. If you go to Google and you look at the definition of ethnic nationality, it is well defined. It is a people that share a common ancestry. We do not share a common ancestry with Urhobo people. It further defined people that share the same language. We do not share the same language with the Urhobos. If you speak Okpe in the midst of Urhobo people, they will say you are speaking in tongues. They don’t understand what you are saying. All these questions that Okpe is Urhobo is for political adventure and political gains. They want to project the Urhobo as a large ethnic nationality. So, they use Okpe to feather their own nest’’

Ajobena stated that the political position of the Okpe Nation must be reviewed to save the kingdom from further backwardness.

‘’Whatever comes to the geographical space that is being referred to as Delta Central today is seen as Urhobo matter. The Okpe people are treated as second class citizens within that space. As long as we remain tied to the apron strings of Urhobo, we will not achieve anything. We need to let them know’’.

He said the actions of leaders in the state have thrown Okpe Kingdom into the back burner position in the political affairs of Delta Central.

‘’Urhobos are our friendly neighbors. We are not quarrelling. We intermarry. I don’t see reason for this apprehension’’.

He, however, warned those celebrating Okpe as the largest Urhobo ethnic nationality to admit their mistake and work for the recognition of Okpe identity.

ABIA EX-MILAD DENOUNCES MARGINALIZATION OF OKPE KINGDOM