Tinubu Reduces 35-Year Jail Term of Former FU Gusau VC, Prof. Magaji Garba, After Three Years in Prison

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commuted the 35-year prison sentence of Professor Magaji Garba, the former Vice-Chancellor of th...

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commuted the 35-year prison sentence of Professor Magaji Garba, the former Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Gusau, Zamfara State, who was convicted of fraud in 2022.

Garba, aged 67, had spent over three years in custody before his sentence was reduced on compassionate and health grounds as part of the 2025 Presidential Clemency Exercise that benefited 175 inmates and former convicts nationwide.

A statement from the State House said the decision followed the recommendation of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi (SAN).

The committee noted that the President approved a commutation of Garba’s sentence after considering his age, deteriorating health condition, and good conduct while in custody.

“Professor Magaji Garba’s inclusion was based on his age, health, and demonstrated remorse. The President’s approval reflects a humane and reformative approach to justice administration,” the committee’s report stated.

Garba was convicted in December 2022 by an FCT High Court and sentenced to 35 years imprisonment without an option of fine for obtaining ₦260 million under false pretence from a contractor seeking employment at the university.

He had served as Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Gusau, from 2016 to 2021, before being investigated and prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The commutation of his sentence does not erase the conviction but allows for an early release on humanitarian grounds, in line with Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers the President to “grant any person a pardon, either free or subject to lawful conditions, or commute any sentence.”

Attorney-General Fagbemi, while presenting the committee’s report during the Council of State meeting chaired by President Tinubu, said the decision was guided by compassion and justice.

“The President’s action demonstrates that mercy is not weakness but strength — a recognition that the justice system must also rehabilitate, not merely punish,” Fagbemi said.

Garba’s case, one of the most discussed in Nigeria’s university system, underscores the government’s balancing of accountability with humanitarian considerations in the correctional process.