The Federal Authorities is ready to grant presidential pardons to convicts serving numerous jail phrases throughout custodial centres within the nation.
To provoke the method, the federal government on Wednesday inaugurated the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, with the Legal professional-Normal of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), as Chairman.
The committee contains representatives from the Nigeria Police Pressure, the Nigerian Correctional Service, the Nationwide Human Rights Fee, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, and the Christian Affiliation of Nigeria, alongside different notable members equivalent to Justice Augustine Utsaha, Prof. Alkasum Abba, Chief Akinlolu Olujinmi (CON, SAN), and Prof. (Mrs.) Nike Ijaiya.
Talking through the inauguration, the Secretary to the Authorities of the Federation, George Akume, stated Part 175 of the 1999 Structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) confers particular powers of prerogative of mercy on the President.
He added that the Committee has a four-year tenure, and its membership is drawn from related Ministries, Departments and Companies, in addition to representatives of spiritual our bodies and 4 eminent Nigerians.
Akume stated, “Part 175 of the 1999 Structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) confers particular powers of prerogative of mercy on the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This energy permits the resident to grant pardon to any particular person convicted of an offence created by an Act of the Nationwide Meeting.
“In consequence of this Constitutional energy, a Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy is to be constituted as an administrative physique with the mandate to offer and facilitate a seamless and clean train of the ability by the President. The Committee has a four-year tenure, and its membership is drawn from related line Ministries, Departments and Companies in addition to representatives of spiritual our bodies, and 4 (4) eminent Nigerians.”
Talking on behalf of the committee members, the AGF stated his workplace had obtained an awesome variety of requests for a presidential pardon.
He stated, “Already, my Workplace has been inundated with purposes for presidential pardon and clemency. We’re to look into these purposes and advise on their deserves as acceptable. We guarantee Nigerians that we’ll perform our task objectively within the public curiosity and the curiosity of justice. ”
Fagbemi famous that the committee’s assignments have been to not undermine the choice of the courts however to hold out the responsibility the structure mandates the president.
He stated, ” We should additionally state that our task is by no means a overview of the selections of the courts however a discharge of a mandate imposed on Mr. President by the Structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“After our task, the Committee could be required to current its Report and actionable suggestions for onward transmission to Mr. President for consideration and additional directives.”
Fagbemi stated in finishing up their task, the Committee members may want to go to Correctional services throughout the six geopolitical zones earlier than making their suggestions.
He stated, “The committee is perhaps required to go to Correctional Services in numerous States of the Federation, reducing throughout the six Geo-political Zones of the nation, starting from the place the final train ended, to critically appraise and establish potential instances of convicts and ex-convicts in direction of recommending them for Presidential Pardon or Clemency as acceptable.”
The PUNCH stories that the final presidential pardon was granted underneath former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022, with a complete of 159 convicts receiving clemency.
Amongst these pardoned have been Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame, a improvement that generated quite a lot of controversy.
Dariye, who served as Plateau State governor from 1999 to 2007, was sentenced to 14 years in jail for embezzling N1.16 billion. Equally, Nyame, the governor of Taraba State from 1999 to 2007, obtained a 12-year sentence for misappropriating N1.6 billion.
