Democracy Day: Gov Umar Bago frees 80 inmates in Niger
Written by Olarotimi Oshin on June 12, 2023
Governor Umaru Bago of Niger State has pardoned eighty inmates in various correctional centres in the state. The governor also approved the immediate payment of their fines to enable the inmates to rejoin their families.
A statement by Alhaji Abubakar Usman, Secretary to the State Government, in Minna on Monday said that the gesture was to mark the 2023 Democracy Day. He explained that the release of the inmates was in line with the prerogative of mercy granted to the governor by the Constitution.
Usman said that the State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy recommended the release of the eighty inmates based on old age, ill health and good behaviour.
Usman appealed to the inmates to make use of the opportunity to engage in useful ventures and shun any act that could lead them back to prison, admonishing them to be law-abiding and engage in legitimate endeavours by taking advantage of various empowerment windows.
