As part of activities marking the 2026 New Year, Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has granted clemency to 71 inmates.
The governor announced the decision during his 2026 New Year broadcast on Thursday describing the decision as a step toward rehabilitation, mercy, and giving deserving individuals a second chance.
The Governor also approved the release of 19 inmates convicted of capital offences on compassionate grounds, citing old age, ill health, and prolonged incarceration, while the death sentences of six inmates were commuted to life imprisonment.
According to Abiodun, the clemency exercise included the early release of 46 inmates who had served a significant portion of their short-term sentences.
The governor said the gesture was guided by the need to promote rehabilitation and reintegration rather than punishment alone.
He stressed the need for those granted clemency deserve the opportunity to rebuild their lives and contribute positively to society.
Governor Abiodun thanked the people of Ogun State for their continued support and patience, despite economic and social challenges faced in 2025.
He described Ogun State as more than a geographical space, saying it is “a community bound by shared purpose, mutual support, and a collective desire for progress.”
“Our shared experience has reaffirmed a simple but powerful truth: when citizens and government work together in trust and shared responsibility, progress is inevitable,” the governor said.
He reaffirmed his administration will remains focused on building a prosperous and economically diversified Ogun State through strategic infrastructure and human capital development.
“Our vision remains focused on building a prosperous and inclusive Ogun State driven by economic diversification, strategic infrastructure, and human capital development.
“Through deliberate reforms, targeted investments, and forward-looking policies, we are building an economy that creates opportunities for all and protects the most vulnerable,” he said.
The governor, highlighting economic achievements, said Ogun State’s economy has grown significantly, with the state’s Gross Domestic Product estimated at about ₦17 trillion.
He also disclosed that Internally Generated Revenue increased from ₦52 billion in 2020 to ₦250 billion in 2025.
Veteran journalist and recipient of A.B.C Yola, Reporter of the Year Award (1997), Hassan Umar Shallpella, works with WAP as a Regional Correspondence. He was trained at Institute of Mass Communication and Technology Jos and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Training School Lagos.He was a News desk Editor and a Correspondent at the Punch newspaper and till 2019, was the Deputy Editor ofThe Scope newspaper.
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