Mr Cletus Ofoke, the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice disclosed this on Friday while interacting with newsmen, noting that the convicts were drawn from the Abakaliki and Afikpo custodial centres.

Ofoke said that the governor was guided in the decision by his belief in God’s mercies and the recommendations of the state advisory council on prerogative of mercy.

“The 33 convicts were serving various jail terms at the custodial centres and the pardon is in line with Federal Government (FG) policy on correctional centres decongestion.

“The governor is determined to ensure that the disease does not enter the state as the world is grappling with the effects of the pandemic.

“He also believes that the idea of social distancing being preached in all the parts of the state might not be absolutely maintained in the custodial centres because of the way the inmates are kept,” he said.

The attorney-general said that the governor urged relatives and communities of the pardon persons to accept and wholly re-integrate them into their fold.

“We thank the governor for this gesture as this shows that he is truly an apostle of God.

“I also thank the state advisory council on the prerogative of mercy which I head, for considering the merits of several applications submitted by various bodies for the pardon of correctional centre inmates in the state,” he said.