On 28 November 2025, a faceless group called Human Rights Watchdog in Africa (HRWA) issued a press statement, signed by its Executive Director, Samson Adamu, calling on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Zamfara after accusing Governor Dauda Lawal of “pardoning and releasing convicted bandits.”
The HRWA’s statement, which was disseminated by some sections of the media, claimed that Governor Lawal authorised the release of 69 convicted bandits in September through what it described as a “secret state pardon,” reportedly processed through the Zamfara State Zakat and Endowment Board, under a programme tagged “Religious Amnesty.” The group further urged President Tinubu to invoke emergency powers under the Nigerian Constitution to suspend Governor Lawal, overhaul the state’s security apparatus, and launch a federal probe into the alleged pardons.
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“Strip away his authority before more blood is spilt. HRWA stands with the voiceless victims of Zamfara; we will not rest until accountability prevails,” Mr Adamu said.
VERIFICATION
In order to verify this claim, painstaking efforts were made by journalists to obtain the original statement issued and signed by the Human Rights Watchdog in Africa, which was the source of the story published by some online platforms. However, the efforts yielded no result as they couldn’t get the original statement issued by the group.
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Further efforts to reach out to the Chairman of the group, Samson Adamu, the so-called executive director of the group, who signed the statement according to the published stories yielded zero result. Also enquiries with journalists in Zamfara, Kaduna and Abuja, where the purported statement was allegedly released, couldn’t yield any tangible result, as no journalist could confirm receiving any statement by the said group or from Samson Adamu.
Background open checks using search tools to see whether the group has a registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) or any office, website, contact, or physical address were all negative. Checks to unravel the identity of Samson Adamu through online tools met a dead end. Like the group he purportedly represents, there was no name matching his online before 28 November 2025. He has no digital footprint or social media identity, nor any virtual or physical address or phone number.
The name ‘Human Rights Watchdog in Africa’, it was found, first appeared in late November 2025, through news coverage in Nigeria urging President Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Zamfara State. Before then, there was no mention of the organisation online or anywhere.
On the substance of the group’s claim, findings revealed that the Zamfara State Zakkat and Endowment Board had facilitated the settlement of debts and subsequent release of 909 inmates between 2024 and 2025.
This was disclosed by the Executive Secretary of the board, Habib Muhammad Balarabe, during the 2025 End-of-Year Activities held at the Board’s premises, Bypass, Gusau, recently. Mr Balarabe said the board secured the freedom of 473 inmates in 2024 and this year released ₦67.2 million for the settlement of debts owed by 436 inmates, bringing the total beneficiaries to 909 within two years.
The board also empowered 200 women small-scale business owners, who received ₦50,000 each, to strengthen their enterprises. Another set of 100 women were presented with starter packs, completing a three-week poultry production training to enable them to start their own businesses.
Checks with the officials of the Zakkat board have further revealed that their scope of humanitarian activities, which includes paying up the debts of persons convicted of civil cases, and have proven to be of worthy character while in prison, didn’t include bandits, who are convicted of criminal activities. “We don’t have such a mandate. And no convicted bandit was pardoned or released. It is laughable for someone to say the Governor of Zamfara, who, time without number, declared publicly that he won’t negotiate with bandits, would turn back to release them from prison after their conviction. This is a huge joke,” an official, who was not authorised to speak to the press, said on Tuesday.
Further checks have shown that the Zakkat board paid the debts of the convicted debtors after a thorough process in collaboration with the officials of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS). It has been further confirmed that in the last two years, Governor Lawal has been consistent in insisting that his administration won’t negotiate with bandits.
On 29 October 2025, while serving as a guest lecturer to participants of the Executive Intelligence Management Course (EIMC) at the National Institute for Security Studies in Abuja, Governor Lawal warned against the ongoing federal government peace deal with bandits. The governor further stressed that Zamfara State strongly frowns on the ongoing, unregulated peace efforts being undertaken in parts of the North-West with violent non-state actors.
The governor emphatically declared that, “Dialogue can aid conflict management, but true peace requires disarmament, and reconciliation without control equates to surrender. Allowing armed groups to keep their weapons while setting peace terms simply delays violence and compromises state sovereignty.”
“At this crucial time, peace efforts should be strong, coordinated, state-led, and backed by legitimate authority. The State must show it has both the capacity and the will to enforce peace. Sustainable peace arises when armed actors acknowledge the rule of law and the Government’s commitment to protect its citizens.”
When contacted for his response on the allegation, Governor Lawal’s spokesperson, Suleman Bala Idris said there was no time Governor Lawal pardoned or released any bandit. He said, “The story is a juvenile work of fiction. It is a figment of the imagination of some failed politicians in Abuja whose political career is in jeopardy because of their links with bandits. As that haunts them, they would continue to catch straws, including manufacturing puerile lies, to tarnish the Rescue Mission revolution being undertaken by Governor Dauda Lawal in Zamfara state. It is a desperate attempt to distract Governor Lawal, but that has also failed, as it did before.”
VERDICT
After a thorough investigation, it has been established beyond doubt that the Human Rights Watchdog in Africa (HRWA) and its executive director are fictitious. The claim that Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State had pardoned and released convicted bandits is found to be FALSE.
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