By Muhammad Mamman
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has granted presidential pardon and clemency to 175 individuals, including deceased national figures and convicts currently serving various sentences across the country.
Among those granted mercy are the late environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Eight, Major-General Mamman Vatsa, and Sir Herbert Macaulay, Nigeria’s foremost nationalist, who was posthumously exonerated of charges levelled against him by British colonial authorities in 1913.
The President also extended clemency to several inmates convicted of drug-related offences, unlawful mining, and white-collar crimes. Others were pardoned due to old age, ill-health, acquisition of vocational skills, enrolment in the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), or demonstrable remorse and good conduct while in custody.
A number of high-profile individuals benefitted from the President’s act of mercy, including Maryam Sanda, Professor Magaji Garba, and Major S.A. Akubo. In addition, seven death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.
The Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi (SAN), presented its recommendations during the Council of State meeting presided over by President Tinubu.
According to the committee’s report, clemency was granted to 82 inmates, while 65 others had their sentences commuted. A total of 15 former convicts, including 11 deceased individuals, received full pardons.
The President’s decision underscores his administration’s commitment to justice tempered with compassion and rehabilitation.
