Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State is currently making a seeming frantic effort to decongest prisons in the state.
There are more than 3,000 inmates, according to the governor, languishing in correctional facilities in the state, located in Owerri and Okigwe.
Governor Uzodinma made this known while inaugurating a nine-man Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy in the state.
He is tasking the body to speedily decongest the correctional services in the state, noting that on the assumption of office he discovered that there were over 3,000 prison inmates in the state Correctional Service at Okigwe and Owerri, which according to him, is outrageous.
Following the development, he went on, ‘’the Correctional Service has written to recommend that some of the inmates, especially those that are not facing capital punishment and who have spent years on awaiting trial for minimal crimes be granted pardon to decongest the centres.’’
Consequent upon this, Uzodimma says following Nigeria’s Constitution, he can only pardon inmates with the recommendation of the State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy, hence the constitution of the panel.
While tasking the panellists on honesty, objective reasoning and commitment to duty, the governor charged them to do a thorough job as regards inmates to be pardoned.
He also notes that it has become exigent to reduce the number of inmates serving sentences, especially now that there is a global emergency of COVID-19 pandemic.
Panel Chairman who is also the Attorney-General/Justice Commissioner of the state, Cyprian Akaolisa, says the committee comprises men of proven and tested integrity, assuring that they won’t betray the trust reposed on them by the state government, promising that they will do the job with sincerity of purpose.
Other members of the committee are; the Comptroller of Correctional Service or his representative, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Gideon Nweze, Prince Lemmy Akakem, Rev.Ernest Dike, Gabriel E. Obizo, Chief Bernard Anyanwu and Solicitor-General of the state as Secretary.
