Paul Osuyi, Asaba
A partially-blind 71-year old man, Lucky Ishaka, and his 56-year-old wife, Margaret, who were jailed for 37 years have appealed to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State and the state Chief Judge to grant them pardon.
The couple, who has six children, was jailed for conspiracy, armed robbery and kidnapping in 2012 when they hauled into the medium security prisons at Okere in Warri, Delta State
Their plight came to the fore when members of the State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy led the chairman, Patrick Okpakpor visited the prison facility where 222 inmates are on death roll.
Okpakpor, a former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, expressed concern on the number of inmates on death row, and urged the Federal Government to have a second look into the issue of death sentence.
He further expressed shock at the undignified and dehumanized conditions inmate are detained, saying that the magnitude of congestion should be treated as a national emergency.
The chairman and members who was conducted round the facility by the Deputy Controller of Prison, Mr. Airiohuodion Sam, charged the Federal Government to make adequate budgetary provisions to expand the already over stretched facility, originally built to accommodate 307 inmates but now accommodates over 1,500 inmates.
The 222 condemned convicts later physically appeared before the chairman and members of the council to ascertain some of the claims contained in their applications.
Explaining the purpose of the visit, Okpakpor said as a statutory body, the council is empowered to advise the governor in exercise of powers vested on him by the constitution in granting amnesty to prisoners.
He said the council will make appropriate recommendations for clemency to deserving inmates on death row and others serving various terms of imprisonment to the governor.
He emphasized that only qualified applications received by the council would be considered and forwarded for approval.
The Deputy Controller in charge of the Warri Prison, Mr. Airiohuodion
Sam, who expressed joy on the Advisory Council’s visit to the prison, appealed to both the Federal and the Delta State governments to intervene in the crisis situation currently experienced by the prisons in the state by building additional facilities to accommodate condemn