The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has announced the categories of prison inmates qualified for the presidential pardon.
POLITICS NIGERIA earlier reported that no fewer than 2,600 prisoners have been pardoned by President Muhammadu Buhari as part of measures to decongest prison facilities in the country amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In the press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Mr Aregbesola, said the pardon of the inmates will be processed and they will be released later today.
He added that the affected inmates include: Inmates that are 60years and above, those suffering from ill-health likely to terminate in death, convicts serving 3yrs and above who have less than 6 months to serve, Inmates with mental issues and those with option of fine not exceeding N50,000.
The minister also disclosed that: “In a symbolic gesture of the amnesty given to the 2,600 inmates across Nigeria, 41 Federal inmates and 29 FCT inmates making a total of 70 inmates who met the above criteria will be released today from the Kuje Custodial Centre in Abuja.”
He, however, noted that the amnesty will not apply to inmates sentenced for violent extreme offences such as terrorism, kidnapping, armed banditry, rape, human trafficking, culpable homicide and so on.
“The Governors of the 36 states under whose jurisdiction most of the inmates were incarcerated will complete the exercise in line with the federal principle,” he said.
As at the time of filing this report, 276 Nigerians have been infected with the disease and the country has recorded 6 deaths.
