Oyo state Governor, Abiola Ajimobi yesterday granted amnesty to 15 offenders currently serving prison sentences at different prisons in the state.
The state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Oluseun Abimbola made this known in Ibadan in a statement made available to journalists.
According to the justice commissioner, 11 convicts will enjoy either outright release or reduction in sentence terms while four had their death sentences commuted to life imprisonment.
He added that with the amnesty, the governor is exercising his powers under Section 212 of the 1999 constitution, saying, ‘‘the exercise of the prerogative of mercy by the governor is a constitutional exercise carefully and responsibly reviewed to ensure the exercise retains its credibility.’’ Also, the Attorney General pointed out that Ajimobi granted the amnesty based on the recommendation of the State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy, headed by the Attorney General, as part of the events commemorating the celebration of Nigeria’s 58th independence anniversary.
“We expect them to transform to become upstanding members of society, as they would have learnt useful lessons from their time of incarceration to know that crime does not pay,’’ the commissioner stated.