Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has granted clemency to 11 inmates as part of efforts to decongest correctional facilities and promote rehabilitation. The gesture, announced on Sunday by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on External Relations, Uche Anichukwu, is seen as a step towards giving the beneficiaries a renewed chance to reintegrate into society and live productive lives.
The inmates, who were released under the governor’s exercise of the Prerogative of Mercy, were conveyed to the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Kingsley Udeh, by the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Victor Udeh. Those pardoned include Ugochukwu Oma, Onah Nnamdi, Chiadikobi Onu, Emmanuel Sambo, Emeka Nyia, Ngene Oluebube, Francis Chinecherem, Eze Chigozie, Anthony Tombari, Francis Chibuzor, and Uzoma Nnaoche.
Anichukwu explained that the decision was made in accordance with Section 212 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), following recommendations from the Enugu State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy. The Council is chaired by the state attorney general and includes representatives from the Nigerian Correctional Service, Carmelite Prisoners Interest Organisation (CAPIO), and the Catholic Institute for Development, Justice and Peace (CIDJAP), among other justice sector bodies.
The pardoned individuals were selected based on proven reform in character and demonstrated readiness to reintegrate, having acquired productive skills while in custody.
