By Laleye Dipo
Forty-six inmates from correctional centres in Niger State have been granted pardon by the state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello.
According to the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Nasara Dan- Mallam, in a statement in Minna on Sunday, the governor’s action followed a presidential recommendation that state governors should consider granting of pardon to deserving inmates with a view to decongesting the prisons.
In addition, Dan-Mallam said the governor took the action as a result of the recommendation of the state Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy.
The Attorney General, who is the Chairman of the committee, did not give the names of those pardoned but said some of them had only about six months left to serve in their sentences, while others were released on account of old age and ill health.
Dan-Mallam charged the released inmates to make use of their freedom to engage in useful ventures and shun any act that could lead them to crime again, adding that they should also be of changed behaviour and become productive to the society.
“Government wants you to be good citizens and contribute meaningfully to the socio-economic and political development of Niger State in particular and Nigeria as a whole,” Dan-Mallam admonished the released inmates.
