Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, has apologised for the state pardon he gave to some criminals during the COVID-19 lockdown. Among the freed inmates was a convicted serial rapist.
Mohammed who regretted appending his signature to free some of inmates made this known when he received State Action Committee on Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) on Tuesday evening.
“Gender Based Violence has become a pandemic,” Mohammed said.
“That of Bauchi, unfortunately, I understand after sometimes through the Ministry of Justice that we have pardoned some serial rapists, we have messed up with our women folks. It is not our wish to do that.
“Had it been I was aware of that, we wouldn’t have done that. He would have served his full jail term. I didn’t know, I wouldn’t have appended my signature.”
The Guardian had on Saturday reported that a serial rapist, Yusuf Bako who was a beneficiary of the state pardon, was arrested for defiling a four-year-old girl inside Mosque.
Mohammed, however, vowed to go tough on sexual offenders.
The State House of Assembly had in June passed into law Violence Against Person Prohibition (VAPP), which was subsequently signed by the governor.
Mohammed has also ordered for attachment of the Committee to the Office of the First Lady for effective operation. The Committee consists of; female legal practitioners, Police and other civil society organisations.
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