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Biden grants clemency to nearly 1,500 people, most ever in a day

Outgoing President Joe Biden said Thursday he had commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 people and pardoned 39 others, in what the White House called the largest single-day act of clemency in US history.
The move comes just over a week after the 82-year-old Biden pardoned his troubled son Hunter, something he had previously promised not to do, prompting anger from both sides of the political divide.
“America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances,” Biden said in a statement announcing the action. “As President, I have the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation.”
Democrat Biden — who hands over power to Republican Donald Trump on January 20 — is following in the footsteps of many lame-duck presidents who have issued a flurry of acts of clemency in their final days in the Oval Office.
All of the 1,499 people — “the most ever in a single day” — whose sentences were commuted were placed on home confinement during the Covid-19 pandemic, the White House said.
Biden said they had all “successfully reintegrated into their families and communities and have shown that they deserve a second chance.”
The 39 pardons were all for what the White House called a “non-violent offense” or a “non-violent drug offense.”
Those getting relief from the president on Thursday included a “decorated military veteran and pilot who spends much of his time helping his fellow church members.”
A nurse “who has led emergency response for several natural disasters” and an addiction counsellor “who volunteers his time” were also singled out for relief.
“I will take more steps in the weeks ahead,” Biden said.
– ‘Retribution’ –
But Biden has already sparked outrage among both Republican rivals and Democratic allies alike with the pardon of his son Hunter, 54, on December 1.
Hunter Biden pleaded guilty in a tax evasion trial in September and was facing up to 17 years in prison, and had separately been convicted of federal gun charges, for which he was facing 25 years in prison.
When pardoning him, Biden said that Hunter had been “singled out” because of his surname and that “raw politics” had infected the process of justice — a nod to his Republican foes.
Biden has meanwhile reportedly been debating whether to issue blanket pardons for some allies and former officials amid fears they could be targeted for what Trump has previously called “retribution.”
“I’m not going to get into the President’s thinking,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told a briefing when asked about the possibility of such preemptive pardons.
“He’s going to have conversations with his team, he’s going to review clemency petitions, he’s going to review options on the table, and so that’s where I’m going to leave it.”
The spokeswoman also refused to comment on calls for clemency for people on the US federal death row.
Biden’s controversial pardon of his son followed in the footsteps of his predecessors, who also gave reprieves on their way out the door to family and well-connected allies.
Bill Clinton, for example, granted a pardon on his last day in office to his half-brother Roger, who had served time in prison on drug charges.
Trump pardoned his son-in-law’s wealthy father, Charles Kushner — whom he has now nominated as US ambassador to France.
Trump meanwhile has vowed to pardon at least some if not all of the rioters jailed for storming the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, to protest his defeat by Biden in the 2020 election.
In an interview with Time magazine marking the second time he has received its “Person of the Year” award, Trump said he would start “in the first hour that I get into office.”
“A vast majority of them should not be in jail, and they’ve suffered gravely,” he said, while adding that he would look at each case individually.
News
Insecurity: BUDA urges govt to quickly rescue Baruten from terrorists

The Batombu Unity and Development Initiative, Abuja (BUDIA), has raised an alarm over invasion of Baruten in Kwara state by bandits and terrorists, demanding for urgent government intervention.
This was contained in a statement issued and signed by its President, Nasir Abubakar Othman and endorsed by the Board of Trustees.
The nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for the welfare and development of the Batombu people, expresses grave concern over the worsening insecurity caused by escalating terrorism, which pose a critical threat to lives and properties in Baruten and Kaiama Local Government Areas of Kwara State.
“In recent months, communities in Baruten and Kaiama Local Government Areas, located near Kainji Lake National Park, have endured a surge in violent killings These blood birth has led to tragic loss of lives, widespread destruction of properties and a growing climate of fear and cessation of farming and economic activities.
The violence has displaced and disrupted numerous families, local businesses and agricultural activities, as well as severely destabilized and displaced the affected areas.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
ALH. YUSUF TUNKU
Chairman
PROF. UMARU SEMO ISHIAKU Member
RT. HON. IBRAHIM ISA BIO
Member
RT. HON. ZAKARI MOHAMMED Member
RT. HON. MOHAMMED OMAR BIO
Member
IBRAHIM ALIYU KPEROGI
Member
SABIYABE YAHAYA Member
EXECUTIVES
BARR. ABUBAKAR NASIR OTHMAN
President
ABDULLAHI KABIR
Vice President
MOHAMMED JIBRIL FCA
General Secretary
ABDULLAHI HALIDU ALIYU
MADAKI’N GWANARA Treasurer
BARR. ABUBAKAR KOTO ALIYU
Legal Adviser
HAJIA AISHA AHMED OYORU President Women Wing
The towns of Chikanda, Yashikira, Kuburufu and Gure are now overwhelmed by the influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs), the majority of whom are women, children, and elderly individuals.
This critical situation calls for immediate intervention from the government and security agencies to restore order and protect vulnerable populations in these communities.
BUDIA commends the Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, along with senior military officials and representatives of security agencies, for visiting Kaiama as part of their ongoing assessment efforts.
However, we strongly urge the government to extend similar assessment visits to the troubled areas of Baruten Local Government Area to address the urgent needs of affected communities and adopt a comprehensive strategy to resolve this crisis.
Similarly, we call on all residents of Baruten and Kaiama to remain law abiding and vigilant, promptly reporting any suspicious activities or unfamiliar movements of strangers to security agencies stationed within their communities and to traditional rulers.
BUDIA stands in solidarity with all sons and daughters of Baruten and Kaiama as we urgently appeal for decisive military intervention to end the violence and restore peace and stability in our communities.
News
Kano Judiciary Takes Action Against Judges, Suspend Registrars Over Misconduct

The Kano State Judicial Service Commission has taken disciplinary action against two court registrars and two Upper Shari’a Court judges over misconduct.
This was contained in a statement issued by the spokesperson for the Kano State Judiciary, Mr Baba Jibo-Ibrahim, on Monday in Kano.
He said that the decision was part of the resolutions reached at the JSC’s 80th meeting held on April 22, 2025.
He said the commission, in line with its mandate, adopted the recommendations of the investigation carried out by the Judiciary Public Complaints Committee and resolved to suspend and issue formal warnings to them.
Those suspended are Ibrahim Adamu, Principal Registrar II of the Kano High Court, and Maigida Lawan, Principal Registrar of the Sharia Court of Appeal.
Upper Sharia Court Judges Alkali Mansur Ibrahim and Nasiru Ahmad were issued warnings.
Jibo-Ibrahim said Adamu, a Principal Registrar II of the Kano High Court of Justice, was suspended without pay for six months.
The statement added, “His promotion is deferred after a finding that confirmed he verbally assaulted and attempted to use physical force against his superior officer, amounting to gross misconduct in violation of the provisions of the Kano State Civil Service Rules 2004 and the JSC Regulations.
“This is the second time Adamu has appeared before an investigative committee for violence-related actions at work, and he has been issued a series of queries.”
The commission found Adamu’s actions to be grossly unbecoming of his office and imposed the appropriate disciplinary sanctions.
The statement said Lawan, a Principal Registrar of the Kano State Sharia Court of Appeal, was suspended without pay for six months, immediately, after being found guilty of demanding and accepting improper gratification under false pretences.
“The commission adopted the recommendation of the JPCC, and Lawan was demoted by one grade level (from GL-13 down to GL-12),” the statement read.
He said that the commission issued a warning to Malam Mansur Ibrahim, an Upper Shari’a Court judge, after evidence confirmed he used insulting and abusive language towards a litigant.
The JSC also issued a formal warning to Nasiru Ahmad, an Upper Shari’a Court judge, for ordering the detention of a judgment debtor in a manner that suggested personal interest and compromised judicial impartiality.
News
UNUSUAL! Without invitation, Police declared me wanted — Daughter of ABC Transport owner

Ihuoma Julia Nneji, 34, daughter of the owner of ABC Transport, claimed over the weekend that she was declared wanted by the police without any prior invitation or notification of a petition against her.
She was recently listed in a Special Police Gazette Bulletin issued by the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF NCCC), Abuja, for criminal defamation, injurious falsehood, and cyberstalking.
In a statement, she insisted she never defamed or blackmailed anyone on her verified social media pages or elsewhere.
Instead, she claimed she is the victim of blackmail and threats from her former boyfriend, Henry Uzochukwu, the complainant in the case.According to her: “I met Henry Uzochukwu in April 2024, and we started getting to know each other. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned”.
“This conflict began in August 2024 when I called off our wedding, scheduled for November 2024, due to unresolved issues regarding Henry’s sexuality. I found incriminating evidence suggesting he is gay and decided not to proceed with the marriage.
“Further investigations revealed not only his interest in men but also that he had been engaged multiple times without disclosing the reasons for the failed marriages. I discovered that the woman he was to marry before me left him a week before the wedding over the same issue.
“I was deceived and manipulated by the many lies he told.
“After I canceled the wedding, he began to harass me, threatened my life, and falsely accused me of operating an Instagram page spreading rumors about him — a claim that is speculative and untrue.”
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