Twelve inmates of the Kirikiri Maximum Security prison in Apapa, Lagos, got emotional on Tuesday after they were told to “go and sin no more.”

The ex-convicts, who were beneficiaries of the state’s prerogative of Mercy, were pardoned by the state Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode.
It was gathered that the inmates had spent between 20 and 34 years in jail and were discharged having satisfied basic conditions, like good behaviour.

The beneficiaries are Peter Kalu, Gbenga Olusegun, Emmanuel Agogbor, Oladeinde Atanda, Lasisi Osho and Ishmael Azubike.

Others are Ojukunaya Henry, Rahimi Adeniyi, Adeyemi Adeniyi, Yau Usein, Uche Okpara and Lukman Kehinde.

While handing over the release order from the governor to the Lagos Command of the Nigeria Prisons Service, the Chairman of the State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy, Prof. Oyelowo Oyewo, said the release of the inmates was in line with the commitment of the Ambode administration’s commitment to justice sector reforms through prison decongestion.

Oyewo, who represented Ambode at the event, said the exercise was pursuant to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which empowered the governor to exercise the prerogative of mercy, and also to offer hope to inmates who had demonstrated capacity to be re-absolved into the society.

Oyewo said, “Basically, there are guidelines that are set and some of these include looking at the period that has been served by the inmates; and for hard capital offences, such inmates must have served for a sufficient period of time to ensure that they are reformed and rehabilitated.

“It also includes transformation in the life of the prisoner because there must be remorse and acknowledgment of the fact that something wrong had been done and then the prisoner must also have acquired some skills to show that he is ready to be rehabilitated into the society.”

Aside from that, Oyewo said the families of the released inmates, in accordance with the guidelines, were also made to guarantee that they would follow up on them to ensure that they did not go back to their old ways of crime.

Oyewo admonished the freed inmates to be of good behaviour, saying that the governor was willing to release as many of them who meet the requirements for freedom as possible.

The Controller of Prisons, Lagos Command, Mr. Tunde Ladipo, said the release of the inmates had brought hope to other inmates.

“It is my pleasure and honor to receive the letter of release from the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode.

“I call him the acting governor for his commitment to do more for this state and for the prison command,” Ladipo said.

He urged Ambode to come to the aid of the command in the areas of logistics, construction of a security tower and procurement of CCTV cameras.



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