Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State has commuted the death sentence of five prison inmates to life imprisonment and granted full pardon to two others.
Oyebanji also commuted the life sentence of four other inmates to terms of five and ten years imprisonment and commuted the death sentence Commuted of two others to terms of Imprisonment.
He also ordered the immediate release of 18 inmates with less than six months left of their sentences, thereby bringing the total number of beneficiaries to 31.
The decision follows the recommendation of the State’s Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy, headed by Ekiti State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dayo Apata, SAN.
According to Apata, the governor’s decision was guided by Section 212 of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers the governor to grant clemency to inmates after a review of their records.
“The council received 534 applications,carefully evaluating each case before making its recommendations,” he said. (vitalnewsngr.com)