The Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN) has inaugurated the Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy.
Malami, chairman of the committee, inaugurated members at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in Abuja on Tuesday.
“This is a committee of mercy. May God have mercy on us,” the minister said.
The panel, which has a four-year tenure, has the responsibility of recommending to the President prisoners, convicts and ex-convicts deserving presidential pardon.
Malami said the reconstitution of the committee would go a long way in bringing about a drastic reduction in the population of prisoners that he said had become a blot on the nation’s Criminal Justice System.
The minister explained that the terms of reference of the committee were statutory and constitutional as contained in Section 175 of the nation’s constitution.
Membership include the AGF, a permanent secretary from the Office of the SGF, representative of the Inspector-General of Police, representative of the Nigerian Prison Service, representative of the National Human Rights Commission, representative of Jama’atu Nasril Islam, representative of Christian Association of Nigeria and four eminent Nigerians.
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