Godswill Akpabio, the governor of Akwa Ibom state, has granted amnesty to eight prisoners serving various sentences in Uyo, Calabar, Ikot-Ekpene and Port Harcourt in the spirit of the New Year celebration.
Akpabio made the announcement when he visited Uyo prisons on Friday.
He converted the death sentence of six other inmates to life imprisonment and also donated N10 million to other inmates for medical attention.
Those pardoned from Uyo, Calabar and Ikot-Ekpene Prisons were; Ofonime Udoh, Mbong Udobong, Akpan Akpan, Uweh Okon, Emmanuel Inyang, Udo Isonguyo, Bassey George and Edem Etim.
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The six converted from death to life imprisonment were Ndifreke Ekanem, Samuel Ekanem, Patrick Ekene, Oduok Jimmy, Charles Isong and Eyakeno Imoh serving in Port Harcourt Prisons.
He noted that the Nigerian constitution empowered him to grant pardon to any prisoner in the country.
“I advise those pardoned to be of good behaviour so that they will be fully integrated into the society,” he said.
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Decrying the living conditions of the prisoners, Akpabio directed Regina Akpan, a comptroller of the Nigerian Prisons Service in Uyo, to liaise with Emmanuel Enoidem,the state commissioner for special duties, for assistance.
Responding, Akpan thanked the governor for the various donations he had made to the prison.
He also commended the state government for reforming the prisons service in the state.
“The Uyo prison is made up of 52 females, four babies and two expectant mothers in addition to 834 inmates awaiting trial,” he said.
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“We plead that the state government intervenes in the provision of facilities and renovation of this Prison.”
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