By Victor Akan
The federal government is set to grant presidential pardons to convicts serving various jail terms across custodial centres in the country.
To initiate the process, the government, on Wednesday, inaugurated the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, with the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), as Chairman.
The committee includes representatives from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Correctional Service, the National Human Rights Commission, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, and the Christian Association of Nigeria, alongside other notable members such as Justice Augustine Utsaha, Prof. Alkasum Abba, Chief Akinlolu Olujinmi (SAN), and Prof. (Mrs.) Nike Ijaiya.
Speaking during the inauguration, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, said, “Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) confers special powers of prerogative of mercy on the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
This power enables the president to grant pardon to any person convicted of an offence created by an Act of the National Assembly.
“In consequence of this constitutional power, a Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy is to be constituted as an administrative body with the mandate to provide and facilitate a seamless and smooth exercise of the power by the President.
“The committee has a four-year tenure, and its membership is drawn from relevant line ministries, departments and agencies as well as representatives of religious bodies, and four eminent Nigerians.”
Speaking on behalf of the committee members, the AGF said his office had received an overwhelming number of requests for a presidential pardon.
He said, “Already, my office has been inundated with applications for presidential pardon and clemency. We are to look into these applications and advise on their merits as appropriate. We assure Nigerians that we will carry out our assignment objectively in the public interest and the interest of justice.”
Fagbemi noted that the committee’s assignments were not to undermine the decision of the courts but to carry out the duty the constitution mandates the President.
He said, “We must also state that our assignment is in no way a review of the decisions of the courts but a discharge of a mandate imposed on Mr. President by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. After our assignment, the committee would be required to present its report and actionable recommendations for onward transmission to Mr. President for consideration and further directives.”
Fagbemi said that in carrying out their assignment, the committee members might need to visit correctional facilities across the six geopolitical zones before making their recommendations.
The PUNCH reports that the last presidential pardon was granted under former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022, with a total of 159 convicts receiving clemency.
Among those pardoned were Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame, a development that generated a lot of controversy.
Dariye, who served as Plateau State governor from 1999 to 2007, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for embezzling N1.16bn.
Similarly, Nyame, the governor of Taraba State from 1999 to 2007, received a 12-year sentence for misappropriating N1.6bn. [The Punch]
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