President Muhammadu Buhari has granted Presidential pardon to the former governor of old Bendel State, late Prof Ambrose Alli and a foremost nationalist, late Chief Anthony Enahoro, The Nation reports.

The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola disclosed this at a world news conference on Thursday in Abuja.

He said three other high profile persons also benefitted from the presidential amnesty. He added that the gesture means that they were never convicted.

Aregbesola who was flanked at the conference by the ministers of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami and Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said the gesture was based on compassion.

He added that 70 inmates of the Kuje custodian centre Abuja would also be released Thursday as part of efforts to decongest the centre.

Aregbesola said the Presidential pardon followed recommendations to the President by a Presidential Committee and the imperative of drastically reducing the number of inmates in custodian centres across the country due to the outbreak of COVID 19.