President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has granted a sweeping list of pardons and clemency to 175 beneficiaries, including two posthumous pardons for historical figures, Major General Mamman Jiya Vatsa and nationalist Herbert Macaulay.
In a statement made public by Bayo Onanuga, the special advisor to the President on information and strategy, it was disclosed that the decision followed the recommendation of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM) and was endorsed by the National Council of State during its meeting in Abuja on Thursday.
The most notable beneficiaries include Major General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, the poet and military officer, who was sentenced to death in 1986 on a treason charge, received a posthumous pardon.
Herbert Macaulay who was a nationalist and co-founder of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) was also granted a posthumous pardon.
Macaulay had been unjustly convicted by British colonialists in 1913 and subsequently banned from public office. This pardon formally exorcises the ex-convict stigma from his records, 79 years after his death in 1946.
President Tinubu formally pardoned the Ogoni Nine, who were executed in 1995, they included Ken Saro Wiwa, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine.
Simultaneously, the President awarded national honours to the Ogoni Four, Chief Albert Badey, Chief Edward Kobani, Chief Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage.
The President granted pardons to four former convicts who had demonstrated sufficient remorse to facilitate their re-integration into society. These include, Farouk Lawan, a former member of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia, Barrister Hussaini Umar, Ayinla Saadu Alanamu.
Nweke Francis Chibueze, who was serving a life sentence for cocaine, and Dr. Nwogu Peters, who had served 12 of his 17-year sentence for fraud, were also pardoned.
President Tinubu further granted clemency to 82 inmates and ordered the reduction of prison terms for 65 others. Additionally, he provided a reprieve for seven inmates on death row by commuting their sentences to life imprisonment.
President Tinubu acted on the recommendations of the 12-member Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM), chaired by the Attorney General and Justice Minister, Prince Lateef Fagbemi.
The committee’s final report revealed that 294 applications and inmates were considered. The report noted, “A total of 175 inmates were interviewed, and 62 applications were received on behalf of 119 inmates considered by the committee, making it a total of 294.
“One hundred and sixty of the inmates interviewed were male, while 15 were female. Eighty-two inmates were recommended for clemency; two (2) for pardon; sixty-five (65) inmates for reduction of their terms of imprisonment, and seven (7) inmates on death row for commutation to life imprisonment.
“Also, fifteen (15) ex-convicts were recommended for Presidential Pardon, eleven (11) of them are deceased (including Ogoni 9). The Ogoni four (4) were also recommended for the Post-Humous National Honours Award.
“On the whole, a total of one hundred and seventy-five (175) beneficiaries are recommended.’’
The committee used criteria such as old age (60 years and above), terminal ill health, young persons (16 years and below), long-term convicts with good records (10 years or more served), and evidence of remorse and exemplary behaviour as certified by Correctional Officers.
The PACPM was inaugurated by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, on January 15, 2025, to promote justice, rehabilitation, and human rights across Nigeria.
