NCoS begins process for nationwide presidential pardon

The Acting Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Sylvester Nwakuche, has directed all state and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Controllers of Corrections to compile and submit lists of eligible inmates for a nationwide presidential pardon.

This move is part of President Bola Tinubu’s clemency initiative aimed at addressing prison overcrowding and granting relief to deserving inmates.

Nwakuche, who assumed office on December 16, 2024, following the retirement of Haliru Nababa, issued the directive via a memo dated January 17, 2025. The memo, exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters and titled “Request for List of Prisoners/Inmates Eligible for Presidential Pardon/Clemency Nationwide,” provides detailed criteria for selecting inmates eligible for clemency.

The criteria focus on inmates who are:

Aged 60 and above.

Suffering from terminal illnesses.

Young persons aged 16 or below.

Long-term inmates who have served over 10 years with a good record.

Awaiting trial for over 10 years.

Convicts with less than six months remaining in their sentences.

Detained for minor offences but have already served more time than their potential sentence.

Nwakuche emphasized urgency in the submission, stating, “I am directed to write and request you to, as a matter of urgency, furnish the office of the Controller-General of Corrections with a list of ALL qualified prisoners/inmates in your Command for Presidential Pardon/Clemency.”

The memo also specifies that only inmates convicted or awaiting trial for federal offences are eligible, excluding Nigerian citizens deported to the country for crimes committed abroad.