President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday granted presidential pardon and clemency to 175 convicts and former convicts — including prominent historical figures, remorseful drug offenders, illegal miners, and white-collar criminals — in a sweeping exercise that combined justice with compassion and historical correction.
The list, presented by 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), was approved during the Council of State meeting chaired by the President.
Among those pardoned were Nigeria’s foremost nationalist Sir Herbert Macaulay, posthumously absolved of a 1913 conviction imposed by British colonial authorities; environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and the other eight Ogoni leaders executed in 1995; and Major-General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, executed in 1986 following an alleged coup plot during the Babangida regime.
The committee also recommended clemency for 82 inmates, commutation of death sentences for seven, and term reductions for 65 others, while two inmates and 15 former convicts (11 deceased) received full pardons.
High-Profile Beneficiaries
Among the living Nigerians who benefited from Tinubu’s mercy are several notable figures:
Hon. Farouk Lawan, 62, former House of Representatives member, jailed in 2021 for corruption, received a full pardon after serving his sentence.
Dr. Nwogu Peters, 67, convicted of fraud and serving a 17-year sentence since 2013, was also pardoned.
Barr. Hussaini Alhaji Umar, 58, fined ₦150 million in a 2023 ICPC case, had his conviction forgiven.
Ayinla Saadu Alanamu, 63, sentenced to seven years for bribery in 2019, received clemency after completing his term.
Professor Magaji Garba, 67, former Vice-Chancellor of Federal University, Gusau, jailed in 2021 for fraud, had his seven-year term reduced to four years on grounds of good conduct and age.
Major S.A. Akubo, 62, convicted in 2009 for illegal removal of weapons, had his life sentence commuted to 20 years for showing remorse and discipline.
Maryam Sanda, 37, sentenced to death in 2020 for the murder of her husband, was granted clemency after six years in custody. Her plea was supported by her family on behalf of her two children and based on her reported reformation and good conduct in prison.
Illegal Miners and Drug Offenders Freed
A large number of those pardoned were low-level offenders convicted of illegal mining and drug-related crimes. Seventy-five young men — most aged between 18 and 40 — serving three-year sentences for illegal mining were granted presidential clemency. Senator Ikra Aliyu Bilbis signed an undertaking to oversee their rehabilitation and empowerment.
Similarly, dozens of inmates convicted for possession or sale of cannabis and other narcotics — including Kelvin Christopher Smith (42), Azubuike Jeremiah Emeka (31), and Ahmed Adeyemo (38) — received clemency after demonstrating remorse and completing vocational training while in custody.
One of the longest-serving inmates on the list, Johnny Ntheru, 63, a foreigner jailed since 1989 for armed robbery, was released after spending 36 years in Umuahia Prison.
Posthumous Justice and Historic Reconciliation
President Tinubu’s decision also carried strong symbolic undertones of national reconciliation. Besides Saro-Wiwa and Vatsa, the President posthumously honoured the “Ogoni Nine”—Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawa, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine—whose 1995 execution drew global condemnation.
Their victims — Chiefs Albert Badey, Edward Kobaru, Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage — were also publicly honoured in the same gesture of reconciliation.
Correcting Colonial Injustice
Perhaps the most historically significant of all, President Tinubu’s pardon of Sir Herbert Macaulay reversed what he described as “a colonial miscarriage of justice.” Macaulay, regarded as the father of Nigerian nationalism, was banned from public office and jailed by British authorities in 1913 over alleged misappropriation of funds — a conviction now formally nullified more than a century later.
Presidential Philosophy on Mercy
According to Attorney-General Fagbemi, the President based his decisions on factors including old age, remorse, acquisition of skills, educational advancement through the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), and recommendations from prison authorities regarding exemplary behaviour.
“This exercise is not just about forgiveness,” Fagbemi said. “It is about national healing, giving second chances, and correcting historical wrongs.”
Summary of Clemency Actions
2 inmates and 15 former convicts received full pardons (11 posthumous).
82 inmates received presidential clemency.
65 inmates had their sentences reduced.
7 death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.
President Tinubu described the gesture as “a reaffirmation of our shared humanity and the belief that justice must be tempered with mercy.”
> “Some of these cases span decades. Some were victims of circumstances, others have since reformed and become model citizens. It is time to let healing begin,” the President was quoted as saying.
