Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, has granted pardon and other forms of executive clemency to 101 inmates and convicts as part of activities marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
Governor Ododo announced the decision in his Independence Day address on Thursday, saying the exercise was based on the constitutional prerogative of mercy and considerations including rehabilitation, remorse, humanitarian circumstances, public interest and justice.
The governor said the Kogi State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy, inaugurated on September 2, reviewed the cases and considered correctional reports, representations from inmates and their families, as well as visits to correctional centres across the state.
He said 94 beneficiaries were granted mercy based on factors including old age, medical conditions, good conduct, rehabilitation and remorse, while the sentences of seven others were remitted.
Among those granted mercy on old-age and medical grounds were 91-year-old Lamidi Mohammed Garuba, 72-year-old Ajagbonna Olufemi David, Yakubu Atabo, Chief Umane Okeme, Saidu Atuluku Yunusa, Hilary Chike Nwaeze, Ebenezer Mopah, Abdullahi Jibril and Usman Ismaila.
The seven beneficiaries whose sentences were remitted are Tunde Adura, Olusaye Moses Abayomi, Abu Mowde, Zakariyau Baba, Michael Ojonugwa, Rami Sadiq and Salawudeen Sanusi.
Ododo stressed that the exercise did not diminish the seriousness of the offences committed by the beneficiaries, describing it as an act of constitutional compassion in deserving circumstances.
“You have been given another opportunity, and every second opportunity comes with a greater responsibility,” the governor said, urging the beneficiaries to return to their families and communities as responsible citizens and avoid returning to crime.
He also called on young people in the state to reject criminal activities, including kidnapping, armed robbery, fraud, theft, cultism and drug-related offences.
Ododo urged parents, traditional and religious leaders, community leaders and youth organisations to support government efforts to combat crime, stressing that the responsibility of securing communities was a collective one.