The Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM) has said that it plans to consider 25 inmates in Kuje Prison for Presidential pardon by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Controller General of Nigerian Prisons, Ahmed Jafaru, presented the inmates while receiving members of the committee yesterday in Abuja.

Jafaru, represented by the Assistant Controller General of Prisons, Garba Shehu, said the inmates were selected based on the federal offenses criteria.

“The criteria for the selecting them are those who committed federal offenses, those are above 50 years of age, those who have few years to spend among others. We will submit our recommendations to the presidency and they will take it up from there,” he said.

Speaking earlier, the Controller of Prisons, FCT Command, Mr. Sylvester Nwakuche, said some of the inmates awaiting trial had spent over 10 years in prison and that the prison facility which had the capacity of 560 inmates was accommodating 800 inmates and over 600 others awaiting trial.

The Minister of Justice and the Chairman of the Committee, Mr Abubakar Malami, said the committee was set up as part efforts of the present administration to decongest prisons nationwide.

Malami, who was represented by Mrs. Ayoola Daniels, said that the visit was to identify and recommend inmates who were deserving of presidential pardon.

•Sourced from Daily Trust report

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