Governor of Bauchi State Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed has granted state pardon to 153 inmates across the various custodial and correctional centres in the state and empowered each of the 153 freed inmates with N50,000 to start a business for self-reliance.
The executive pardon is in consonance with the constitutional provision in commemoration of the 62nd Nigerian Independence Anniversary celebrated nationwide penultimate week.
Governor Bala Mohammed is vested with the power to grant state pardon under section 212 (1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under the prerogative of mercy.
The governor who personally paid all the lingering fines of the inmates out of his pocket, also monetarily empowered them to actualize the various skills they learnt at the correctional centre to fend for a living while becoming self-reliance. He called on them to henceforth, be law abiding citizens by taking advantage of the various empowerment windows provided by his administration for poverty alleviation.
The governor said he has pardoned 153 inmates serving jail terms in various correctional centres based on the powers vested in him in the constitution.
He explained that the pardon was granted to the inmates based on the recommendation of the committee on the prerogative of mercy which reviewed their records based on the determination to become good citizens and to be useful to themselves and the society.
According to him, part of the criteria adopted by the committee in coming up with the list of pardoned convicts include old age, terminal sickness, convicts having less than three months to complete their jail term and those who were to pay their victims compensation of less than thirty thousand naira.
The chairman, State Committee on Prerogative of Mercy who is also the commissioner of Justice, Barrister Abubakar Abdulhamid said the freed inmates were selected based on their jail terms records.
Speaking on behalf of the freed inmates, Saidu Adamu Giade hailed the magnanimity of Governor Bala Mohammed, and assured him of becoming law abiding citizens in the society.
