Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, on Friday, January 1, 2021, granted pardon to 12 convicts in exercise of the powers conferred on him by Section 212 of the Constitution.
Ten of the freed prisoners had six months or less to serve of their sentences of three years and above.
The remaining two prisoners were released on ground of age,the governor’s special adviser on media and communication, Muyiwa Adekeye, said in a statement in Kaduna.
He said: “’Gabriel Olugbenga was convicted and sentenced to seven years imprisonment for culpable homicide on June 23, 2016. He is 60 years old. He has six months left to serve and he was expected to be released on June 23, 2021.”
Tunde Ikuenaya,64, was imprisoned on November 16, 2017, for four years for criminal misappropriation, and he was expected to be released on March 16, 2021.’
The Special Adviser said that El-Rufai also commuted the prison sentences of three convicts to five years, being ‘’long term prisoners who had served ten years and above and have shown good conduct.’’
He added: “Ifeanyi Chiebuike Nweke, Mohammed Mamman Santare, and Samaila Danjuma were convicted and sentenced at various times for culpable homicide.”
The governor commuted Joshua Yashim’s death sentence to life imprisonment, Adekeye said, explaining that the convict was sentenced to death by hanging for culpable homicide on June 9, 2011.
“He has been in prison custody since 2007 when the offence was committed and has spent 13 years there. He did not appeal due to lack of funds,” Adekeye said.
