Nigeria

Kaduna state governor releases 12 prisoners from from correctional centres

Friday, January 01, 2021 at 4:08 PM by Oluwatobi Bolashodun

- In the spirit of the New Year, the governor of Kaduna state has pardoned 12 prisoners

- According to Muyiwa Adekeye, the special adviser on media and communication, Governor El-Rufai granted their release

- Adekeye said that the prisoners' release was based on the recommendation of an advisory council

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To commemorate the beginning of the New Year, Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai has ordered the release of 12 convicts from correctional centres in the state, The Cable reports.

A statement from Muyiwa Adekeye, the special adviser on media and communication, indicates that the beneficiaries were granted leniency based on the recommendation of the advisory council on the prerogative of mercy.

The breakdown of prisoners released includes 10 inmates who had six months or less to the end of their 3-year sentence, while two others were pardoned due to age.

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New Year pardon: El-Rufai orders release of 12 prisoners — 12 prisoners across correctional centres in Kaduna have been released by the state government. Photo credit: @GovKaduna
Source: Twitter

Adekeye explained that the decision was based on the constitutional powers conferred on the governor.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the Nigerian government directed the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) to release all awaiting trial inmates in its custody as part of measures to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

Awaiting trial inmates account for 70 percent of the detainees in Nigeria's correctional centres. Minister of interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola who gave the directive, said the move is to prevent the ravaging coronavirus from spreading into the correctional centres.

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Similarly, the federal government freed 6,590 inmates in various prisons as part of its efforts to decongest the Nigerian Correctional Centres.

This was disclosed by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), in a tweet shared on his official Twitter account on Wednesday, June 17.