Over 159 inmates in the country’s correctional facilities have received Presidential pardon by the National Council of State.

Abubakar Malami, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, said 162 petitions for the prerogative of mercy for convicts and detainees were received, but only 159 were allowed.

Malami, who did not name the detainees, said the Council had rejected a proposal to pardon one of the offenders who had embezzled over 25 billion naira and will be serving 120 years in prison.

Former Plateau and Taraba state governors Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame were among those pardoned by President Buhari on health grounds. Officers involved in the failed Gideon Orkar coup in 1990 were also pardoned.

“In the exercise of the powers on the granting of pardon, precisely on August 28, 2018, the President put in place a committee known as the Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy. It was saddled with the responsibility of visiting the country’s correctional facilities and making recommendations to the President on the exercise of his power of mercy and compassion, to either grant pardon to those that had been convicted, clemency, or some other form of concessions by way of reduction in sentence and term,” he said.

He added that;

“The Committee submitted to 162 people presented to the President for such consideration. 26 of the inmates are recommended for a presidential pardon, 85 surviving ex-convicts were recommended for a presidential pardon, and one deceased person was recommended for a posthumous presidential pardon.”

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