From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau
Zamfara State Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle has removed offences from the criminal record of 46 inmates including nine out them who have been sentenced to death by hanging while five others already serving life imprisonment in a Medium Correctional Centre Gusau.
Speaking to Journalists, the Chairman of the committee of Prerogative of Mercy who is the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Junaidu Aminu, said Governor Matawalle has pardoned the inmates based on the powers conferred on him by section 212 of the 1999 constitution as amended.
The attorney general stated that, the 7-man Committee of Prerogative of Mercy, had commenced it’s assignment about nine months ago during which it embarked upon checks on possible attitudinal changes across the inmates in Gusau Correctional Centre, “After thorough searches, we recommended forty six for the Governor to pardon”.
Barrister Junaidu, who further informed that, the Governor has a power to either pardon a convict or redress the punishment sentenced on him by the court, disclosed that, the total of those awaiting death sentence were eleven out of whom nine were pardon following recommendation passed by the committee.
He said another five convicts out of the 46 pardoned inmates were initially sentenced to death by hanging, adding that, “Two years ago, the said other five were pardoned by Governor Matawalle and subsequently redressed their punishment from death sentence to life imprisonment, later the committee noticed positive changes in them which led to recommend for their inclusive into the list of pardoned”.
According to barrister Junaidu, another thirty inmates who enjoyed the Governor’s prerogative of mercy, were those sentenced to twenty years down to six months jail term for committing light offences, saying, “There were notable changes positively in them, a clear sign they were corrected to rejoin their families and the general society”.
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