The Oyo State governor, Senator
Abiola Ajimobi granted state pardon to three people serving life imprisonment
and amnesty to twelve others in the state on 1st of January,2014.
We shall be discussing the powers
conferred on the President and Governors of the federal Republic of Nigeria to
grant pardon and the status of the person(s) pardoned.
In case of federal offences, the
power to grant pardon a convict is vested on the president of the federal
Republic of Nigeria, the president has the right to pardon any person convicted
or sentenced by a court of competent jurisdiction in Nigeria,this include court
martial while the state governor is the appropriate person to grant pardon on
all state offences, but this should be done with utmost good faith and should
not be abused.
Section 36(10) of the
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria states that no person who shows
that he has been pardoned for a criminal offence shall again be tried for that
offence, pardon is not just a discharge but an acquittal.
The status of a convict pardoned
by the president or governor was further established in OLU FALAE V. OLUSEGUN
OBASANJO the supreme court held that pardon is an act of grace by the appropriate
authority which mitigates the punishment the law demands for the offence and
restore the rights and privileges forfeited on the account of the offence.
A person pardoned becomes NOVAS HOMO a new man and his status
shall be of a person that never committed the offence.
In a plea of pardon, the accused
person is saying that the appropriate authority has pardoned his conviction
which an accused person who plead autre foise acquit or convict is saying that
having being tried by a court of competent jurisdiction he should not be tried for the same offence.
A convict who has been pardoned
will no longer serve the penalty imposed on him or what is left of it, where a
convict successfully plead autre fois convict he is still saddled with the
responsibilities of a conviction.
Amnesty is granted to persons who
are alleged to have committed an offence but have not been charged to court for
the said offence.
Thank you.
Oyenike Alliyu-Adebiyi LLB(hons)BL
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