By TIMOTHY CHOJI, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari is to grant pardon to 45 Nigerians in exercise of the powers conferred on him by the Nigerian constitution.

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami revealed this to journalists at the end of the Council of State on Thursday.

He said this is part of the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy.

“The memo I presented for consultation in line with one of the constitutional requirements and consideration of grant of pardon to 45 persons, two inmates for pardon, 39 inmates for clemency and four ex-convicts for presidential pardon.

“Four people pardoned are: Professor Ambrose Ali (former Governor Bendel State, over N900,000 which he later paid but was convicted), Col Moses Effiong, Major E.J Olarenwaju (for attempted coup in the IBB era) and Ajayi Olusola Babalola,” he said.

The Minister further said 4000 inmates have since been released from correctional centres across the country, in line with the President’s directive on the decongestion of correctional facilities.

He said: “To further clarify on the prerogative of mercy, the President with COVID-19 pandemic, has directed the decongestion of our correctional centres across the country. And by way of collaborative action, the Governors, heads of courts across the nations, have worked assiduously in collaboration with the presidential committee on decongestion of our correctional centres and at the end of the day we have succeeded in taking out over 4,000 inmates out of our correctional centres across the country.

“What we have today is a consolidation of what has been done and the strategies put in place to see to the decongestion of our correctional centres.

“As you are aware, more than 70 percent inmates in our correctional centres were awaiting trial across the country and a lot of considerations were put in place to ensure our correctional centres are decongested d the prerogative of mercy was one of such considerations by Mr. President,” Malami explained.

The Justice Minister also announced the consideration pf the appointment of two legal practitioners into the Federal Judicial Service Commission.

“At the instant of Mr. President, I presented two memos before the Council of State. One has to do with the appointment of two new legal practitioners as members of Federal Judicial Service Commission.

“The law confers on the President to appoint members of the Commission, subject to consultation with the Council of State.

“The two members to represent the Nigerian Bar Association on the Federal Judicial Service Commission are Namoso Ekanem (SAN), from Akwa Ibom State representing the South South geo-political zone and Mammud Abubakar Magaji (SAN) from Niger State to represent the North Central geo-political zone,” he stated.

Also speaking, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha said the Council of State approved the appointment of Silas Agara, as Chairman of National Population Commission.

He gave the names of other members of the Commission approved as follows: Muhammed Chuso A. Dattijo, (Sokoto); Alhaji Razaq Gidado, (Kwara); Ibrahim Mohammed, (Bauchi); Joseph Kwai Shazin, (FCT); Bala Almu Banya, (Katsina); and Mrs Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, (Lagos).

President Muhammadu Buhari had in two separate letters dated March 20 and August 12, 2020, nominated Agara, a former Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, to head the NPC. (VON)

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