Veteran Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele-Bello, and her husband, Abdulrasheed, has granted a state pardon by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Nigeria’s Lagos State.
Mr. Sanwo-Olu also approved the release of 56 inmates from various correctional centres in the state.
Akindele-Bello and her husband were both non-custodial convicts for offences related to the violation of the COVID-19 lockdown regulations.
A statement signed by the State Attorney-General (A-G) and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), on Friday, said that Sanwo-Olu acted based on the recommendations of the State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy, under the powers conferred on the Governor by Section 212 (1) & (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
The 56 released inmates were also recommended by the Advisory Council for pardon after due examination of their case files and consideration of the length of time served, the gravity of offence, old age and ill-health among other parameters.
The A-G also enjoined the beneficiaries of the prerogative of mercy to be good citizens and stay away from crime.
The eight-member Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy, headed by a medical doctor, Dr Abayomi Finnih, was inaugurated by Governor Sanwo-Olu on Dec. 16, 2019.
