From JEFF AMECHI AGBODO, Abakaliki

The governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Martin Elechi, has granted unconditional pardon and clemency to 15 indigenes of the state serving different jail terms in prisons in the country. They include eight inmates of the Abakaliki Federal Prisons convicted for offences such as stealing and burglary and seven inmates of Enugu prisons, serving different jail terms for offences ranging from murder to armed robbery.
The Attorney-General of Ebonyi State and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Ben Igwenyi, who performed the exercise on behalf of the governor, said the pardon to the inmates was in commemoration of the centenary celebration of Nigeria.
Igwenyi explained that the exercise was in accordance with the provisions of Section 212 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, which empowers the governor of a state to grant pardon to persons who are convicted of offences under the state law after consultation with the state Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy.
Among the inmates serving capital sentences granted total pardon was Bernard Alifi whose death sentence was earlier commuted to life imprisonment and later reduced to 10 years by the governor.
Others are Ogbonnaya Ivi, Samuel Uguru, Obinna Aribodo, Ifeanyi Ibechukwu, Monday Nwibo and Obodo Opoke.
The Attorney-General expressed the hope that the beneficiaries of the amnesty would turn a new leaf and utilize the vocations they learnt in prisons to contribute to the development of their communities.

-via Sun

Posted by admin on Jan 2 2014. Filed under Ebonyi, Headlines, State News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry