Convicts Granted Freedom After Spending Over a Decade in Custody
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has granted freedom to 53 prisoners, pardoning their convictions in an exercise of his constitutional powers.
The announcement was made in a statement on Thursday by Olawale Rasheed, Governor Adeleke’s spokesperson. The decision follows recommendations from the State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy, tasked with reviewing cases eligible for clemency.
The official pardon, issued in a letter dated December 24, 2024, was confirmed as received by prison authorities. It highlighted that those released had served at least ten years behind bars or were facing death sentences.
“Now know ye therefore that, I Senator Ademola Jackson Adeleke, the Governor of Osun State of Nigeria, in exercise of the power conferred on me by paragraph (a), (c), and (d) of subsection (i) of section 212 of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as Amended), I am pleased to extend my grace and mercy unto the said inmates,” the letter read.
Governor Adeleke also directed authorities to commute the sentences, including death penalties and long-term imprisonment, as stated in the pardon schedule.
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