Delta prison inmates may get pardon as government reviews case files
Prison inmates in Delta State may soon get reprieve, as the state government has constituted a committee on prerogative mercy to revisit many of their files with a view to pardoning those with lesser offences.
Deputy Governor Kingsley Otuaro made the disclosure at the Okere Prison in Warri, where he commissioned several projects executed by the Christ Embassy Church’s prison outreach programme in commemoration of Nigeria’s 56th independence.
Otuaro, who is also a senior pastor of the church, said the committee is going to have special focus on the Okere Prison and would do a holistic job by reviewing all the files of the prison in mates in the state, especially those on the death row, some of whom have served over 25 years.
One of the inmates on death row, Moses Agedah, who was charged with murder and has spent 11 years in prison, urged the deputy governor to use his office to look into the suffering of the inmates, most of who, he said, have turned a new leaf and pleaded for their pardon.
Also, a female prison inmate, identified only as Sister Mercy, also pleaded for pardon, saying many were languishing in the prison for minor crimes.
The projects commissioned include a skills acquisition centre for the training of the female inmates in hairdressing and tailoring, donation of two Toyota Hilux utility vehicles, 10 sewing machines, outdoor table tennis board and drugs, among items.
The church’s Warri Zonal Pastor, Siji Dara, said the president of Christ Embassy, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, initiated the prisons outreach project to give back to society and touch lives.
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