Approves Amnesty for 2,600 Inmates
President Muhammadu Buhari has granted presidential pardon to five convicted persons, The Sight News can confirm.
They are; Late Prof Ambrose Alli, Late Chief Anthony Enahoro; Ex Lt. Col. Moses Effiong; Major E.J. Olanrewaju; and Ajayi Olusola Babalola.
“Prof Alli was the Governor of the old Bendel State in the Second Republic (1978-1983) and a great progressive, while Chief Enahoro was a foremost nationalist who moved the motion for Nigeria’s independence”, said the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola.
The pardon was made known on Twitter by the Presidency on Thursday, in a statement on its handle @NGRPresident
Meanwhile, the President has also approved an Amnesty for 2,600 inmates in Custodial Centers across the federation.
The tweet revealed that the presidential amnesty DOES NOT apply to inmates sentenced for terrorism, kidnapping, armed banditry, rape, human trafficking, culpable homicide and other violent offences.
Speaking further, Aregbesola said, “The Governors of the 36 States under whose jurisdiction the inmates were incarcerated will complete the exercise in line with our federal principle.”
“These [2,600 beneficiaries of the Amnesty] include 885 convicts who could not pay their fines totalling N21.4 million which Nigerian Gov Will pay on their behalf to enable them get their freedom.”
It was further stated that the Presidential Amnesty is in line with the Administration’s goal of decongesting Nigeria’s Custodial Centers— a task now given urgency by the outbreak and continued spread of #COVID19.
