By Valentine Amanze, Online Editor
Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele, and husband, Abdulrasheed Bellom, have been pardoned by the Lagos State government over violation of COVID-19 lockdown regulations.
Other people set free by the Lagos Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Friday October 9, 2020 include
56 inmates from various correctional centres in Lagos.
Akindele-Bello and her husband were on April 6 convicted by a Lagos Magistrate Court for violating COVID-19 lockdown regulations.
They were sentenced to a two- week community service, a non-custodial sentence and isolation by the court.
A statement by Lagos Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo, (SAN) 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 recommended by the Advisory Council 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 Attorney General has also enjoined the beneficiaries to be good citizens and stay away from crime.
The eight-member-Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy led by Dr. Abayomi Finnih was inaugurated by Governor Sanwo-Olu in December 2019.