Prerogative Of Mercy: Release Of Drug Convicts And Murderers
Between January 2006 and April 2007, l was privileged to be a member of the Advisory Council on the prerogative of mercy to the Lagos State Governor, under the Chairmanship of Funke Aboyade.
We carefully scrutinised applications for prerogative of mercy and even visited the prison to interview some of the inmates.
Our recommendations to the Governor, either to commute death sentences to years of imprisonment or for release of certain categories of inmates, sent through the Attorney General, came after very careful and meticulous considerations.
Normally, a Governor or President merely signs what had been recommended by the committee because of the confidence he has in the committee.
Therefore, if there had been errors or inappropriate recommendations for the release of certain inmates, the blame should go to the committee and not the Governor or president, even though the buck stops at their tables and they are vicariously liable to errors of omission or commission by the Committee.
In respect of the recent pardon of certain categories of inmates by the President, many of which are quite embarrassing, acting on the recommendations of the presidential prerogative of mercy committee, l think the blame should go to the Committee and not the president, though be assented to the recommendations. With due respect to the members, it was a very embarrassing and shoddy exercise by the committee, by recommending the release of some people convicted for serious offences, barely few years into their conviction. They just embarrassed the President who would not be in a position to know the details of most of the convicts.
