Buhari grants amnesty to 2,600 prisoners nationwide

• As FG flags off 2020 presidential pardon to inmates

By Vivian Okejeme

President Muhammadu Buhari has granted amnesty to 2,600 prisons inmates in all the Correctional Centres in the country.
The Late first republic politician Chief Anthony Enaharo and former Governor of old Bendel State late Professor Ambrose Alli were also granted presidential pardons.
Minister of Interior Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who made the announcement in Abuja at a world press conference, explained that in arriving at the amnesty various issues were looked at and several options considered.
“Five ex-convicts recommended for presidential pardon have been so pardoned. They are late Prof Ambrose Ali, Late Chief Anthony Enahoro, Ex Lt Col Moses Effiong, Major E J Olanrewaju and Ajayi Olusola Babalola,” the minister said.
Prof Ali was the governor of the old Bendel State in the Second Republic (1978-1983) and a progressive, while Chief Enahoro was a foremost nationalist who moved the motion for Nigeria’s independence.
According to him, “the most pertinent and accordingly adopted are: Old age: This is for inmates that are 60 years old and above; those suffering from ill-health that are likely to terminate in death; Convicts serving three years and above and have less than six months to serve.”
Other criteria include “Inmates with mental health issues and Inmates with options of fines not exceeding N50,000 and have no pending case.”
Using these criteria, the minister said that a total number of 2,600 inmates spread across Nigeria’s various custodial centres qualify to benefit from the amnesty.
“These include 885 convicts who could not pay their fines totalling N21.4 million which the government will pay on their behalf to enable them get their freedom.
“From this number, 41 inmates are federal convicts, two of which have been granted pardon,” the minister explained further.
He pointed out that the amnesty does not apply to inmates sentenced for violent and extreme offences such as terrorism, kidnapping, armed banditry, rape, human trafficking and culpable homicide.
This, he said, has put to rest the wild speculations that have been going around on the categories of inmates to benefit from the amnesty.
The minister and other dignitaries later proceeded to Kuje Custodial Centre to release 41 inmates in a symbolic gesture of the freedom that has been granted to 2,600 others across the federation.
“The governors of the 36 states under whose jurisdiction the inmates were incarcerated will complete the exercise in line with our federal principle,” he said.
Other dignitaries that accompanied Aregbesola to release the incarcerated inmates included the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, Information Minister Lai Mohammed, Chief of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Justice Ishaq Bello, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Georgina E Ehuriah, and the Controller General, Nigeria Correctional Service, Ja’Afaru Ahmed.
In his speech, Minister of Justice Mr Abubakar Malami said that the United Nations (UN) had advised member-states to reduce the number of inmates in custodial centres in view of the social distancing policy aimed at containing the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
He described the launch of the 2020 presidential pardon as historic, adding that the process of selecting beneficiaries started in 2018. He went on to warn the pardoned ex-convicts to desist from crimes, urging the community to receive them without stigmatisation.
Malami lamented that 70 per cent of inmates in Nigeria’s Correctional Centres are awaiting trial.
The Controller-General of Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Mr Ja’afaru Ahmed, in his remarks said that so far the Service had not recorded any case of COVID-19 in the prison system.
He said that the amnesty granted former inmates would go a long way in reducing the number of inmates in the system nationwide.
I a separate development, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, It has become necessary to decongest of correctional/custodial centres in the country, following the COVID – 19 Pandemic,
In a statement released by the Media Aid to the AGF, Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu, Malami made this known during the exercise held at Kuje Correctional Centre, Kuje, Abuja.
Speaking on behalf of President Muhamadu Buhari, Malami recalled that Nigeria has succeeded in putting in place urgent measures to ensure speedy decongestion of the custodial centres towards the control of COVID -19 Pandemic which he described as part of demonstration of President Muhamadu Buhari’s sincerity and commitment to decongest the overcrowded Nigerian Correctional Centres.
He explained that the process of coming up with the list of beneficiaries commenced in 2018 when sequel to Mr. President’s approval, the Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM) was inaugurated on the 28th August, 2018 to advise Mr. President in granting pardon/clemency to deserving inmates and ex-convicts.
This according to him, is in line with the provisions of section 175 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
In carrying out the assignment, the Minister said that the Committee adopted the use of interviews, observations, consultation and relevant documents called for and received from each of the Correctional Centres in Nigeria. He said that the Committee visited a number of Correctional Centres in the six geo-political zones of the country to interact and identify those eligible for Presidential Pardon/Clemency.
Malami said that upon conclusion of the assignment, a report of the Committee, containing the list of beneficiaries considered and recommended for Pardon or Clemency was submitted for the information and necessary action by Mr. President.
“Out of the 176 persons interviewed, Presidential Pardon has been granted to 2 inmates. Mr. President granted clemency to 39 inmates as recommended by the PACPM out of which 4 inmates are from Kuje Correctional Centre. In addition, Mr. President has also graciously granted Pardon to 5 Ex – Convicts.
‘’My office will take necessary steps to publish the names of these beneficiaries in the Federal Gazette in line with extant laws and Regulations,” he said.
The Minister said that in furtherance to the efforts to put COVID -19 under control, Mr. President requested appropriate authorities to embark on a visit to all correctional/custodial centres within their respective States to identify and release deserving inmates.