Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has approved amnesty to 50 convicts serving different prison terms across the nation.

The signing of the warrant of amnesty by the Governor followed recommendations from the State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy and is in compliance with area 212 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as Amended.

Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of the state, Barrister Michael Gusa who informed journalists Thursday, January 20th, 2022 in his workplace stated 34 convicts who were sentenced to death and waiting for execution from Custodial Centres in Jos and other centres were released by the Governor’s approval.

The convicts, according to the Justice Commissioner, had actually appealed their death sentences but the appeals failed, worrying that they now have a second possibility in life.

He mentioned that 15 convicts, who were on death sentence, likewise had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment, while a found guilty had his 21-year prison term minimized to 15 years.

A few of the convicts approved amnesty are Benue indigenes while others are indigenes of other states who committed the offenses in Benue state and were convicted before being moved to Jos Correctional Center to serve their jail terms.

Barrister Gusa discussed that the Governor’s approval also followed a recommendation by authorities of Jos and Sokoto Correctional Centers where the convicts served and attested to their excellent conduct, stressing that they had turned a brand-new leaf.