Following President Bola Tinubu’s earlier pardon earlier this month, the Federal Government declares it is committed to promoting justice and upholding human dignity.
Major General Mamman Vatsa (retd), Major General Mamman Vatsa (retd), and other 173 people were among the 173 people who were granted presidential pardon by Tinubu on October 9.
The Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, which recommended the clemency be granted to 175 people, is led by Lateef Fagbmi, the Federation’s attorney general.
Around 50 convicted traffickers of illegal substances, including cocaine, heroin, cannabis, tramadol, and Indian hemp, were included in the list. Many of the prisoners’ grievous crimes have only been imprisoned for a year.
Read more about Tinubu’s pardon, delists illegal drug users, and others.
Following the Council of State’s approval on October 9, the list sparked outrage in the general public.
However, Fagbemi stated in a statement on Wednesday that “the President received concerns about the recommended list and initiated a due process review in response.”
The President has finished and approved this exercise. The prerogative of mercy was exercised in order to ensure that only those who met specified legal and procedural requirements could use it.
I appoint the people to be patient and engaged throughout the process, and I can assure Nigerians that the government will continue to support a justice system that upholds human dignity while upholding social order and national security.
See the following statement in its entirety:
PRESS ELEASE
The execution of the release instruments comes to an end with the presidential prerogative of mercy exercise.
The President’s issuance of instruments granting pardons, clemencies, and reduced sentences is the official conclusion of the Presidential Prerogative of Mercy exercise, which is being attended by the Office of the Federation’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice.
The President received concerns about the recommended list after consulting with the Council of State, and subsequently conducted a due process review. The President has finished and given his approval for this exercise. The prerogative of mercy was exercised in order to ensure that only those who met specified legal and procedural requirements could use it.
Few earlier recommended people were found to have failed to meet the necessary requirements during this final review, and they were consequently removed. In some other instances, sentences were reviewed and reduced to reflect fairness, justice, and the exercise’s spirit.
This exercise demonstrates the President’s desire for justice to be balanced with compassion and the conviction that justice must reform and redeem in addition to punish and reform. The review was conducted with a sincere commitment to the law, which reinforced the administration’s wider commitment to humane correctional practices and justice reform in accordance with international standards.
The President has ordered the relocation of the Presidential Advisory Committee’s Prerogative of Mercy Secretariat from the Federal Ministry of Special Duties to the Federal Ministry of Justice in order to ensure that future exercises meet public expectations and best practices.
The President has also mandated that the Federation’s Attorney-General publish appropriate guidelines for the exercise of the prerogative of mercy, including mandatory consultation with relevant prosecuting bodies.
Only those who successfully fulfill the legal and procedural requirements will profit from the issuance of releases’ instruments in the future.
I apologise to the people of Nigeria for their patience and constructive engagement throughout the process, and for continuing to support the government’s commitment to upholding human dignity while upholding social order and national security.
Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN),
Justice Minister and Federation Attorney General.
Source: Channels TV
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