Date: 2017-01-18

The Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, has decried the conditions of prisons in Nigeria where hundreds of inmates are crammed into a prison meant for a quarter of that number.

He also expressed concerns that suspects spend years in prison while awaiting trial for offences that attract less severe penalties simply because they could not afford bail.

The governor, who bemoaned the deplorable plight of prisoners in Nigeria while inaugurating the Kwara State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy at Government House in Ilorin, demanded urgent reforms of prisons and associated judicial processes.

A statement by a spokesman for the governor, Abdulwahab Oba, said Governor Ahmed wanted adequate attention to be given to the fate of children born and raised in prisons and the bleak and potentially uncertain future such "unfortunate" circumstance of birth would create for the children and the society.

The governor stated that his administration had decided to inaugurate the eight-member Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy in line with the administration's commitment to the rule of law.

"It is noteworthy that the exercise of Prerogative of Mercy in deserving situations can redress wrongs inflicted on those erroneously condemned or jailed due to legal technicalities," Dr. Ahmed observed.

Governor Ahmed further assured the Council of a Judicious Exercise of the state pardon and called on its members to work tirelessly to achieve the set objectives and ensure that deserving inmates are adequately reintegrated into the society.

Earlier, the Council's Chairman and Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Kamaldeen Ajibade, said members were competent and confirmed people of good and reasonable character in the state.

He said members of the council welcome innovative ideas within their schedule, assuring the governor that the purpose for which the council was established would be met.

Mr Ajibade thanked the governor for reconstituting the council and providing the wherewithal for them to operate, promising that the council will be dedicated and diligent in the discharge their duties.