President Bola Tinubu has approved the presidential pardon of 17 individuals, including Nigerian nationalist Herbert Macaulay, late Major-General Mamman Vatsa, and former lawmaker Farouk Lawan. The decision, which also included posthumous clemency for the Ogoni Nine, was made following the endorsement of the National Council of State.
The move, announced on Thursday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, is aimed at decongesting prisons and advancing restorative justice across the nation.
Posthumous Pardons for Historic Figures
Among the most significant acts of clemency are the posthumous pardons granted to figures whose convictions carried long-standing historical gravity:
Herbert Macaulay: Widely regarded as the father of Nigerian nationalism, Macaulay was pardoned decades after his 1913 conviction by colonial authorities, which had barred him from public office. He died in 1946, but the stain of the sentence is now officially removed.
Mamman Vatsa: The late poet and former member of the Supreme Military Council, executed in 1986 under General Ibrahim Babangida for alleged coup plotting, was pardoned nearly four decades after his controversial death.
Ogoni Nine: In a deeply symbolic gesture, President Tinubu granted formal pardons to the Ogoni Nine, led by environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, who were executed in 1995 under General Sani Abacha’s regime. Posthumous national honours were also awarded to the Ogoni Four—Albert Badey, Edward Kobani, Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage—in recognition of their activism in the Niger Delta struggle.
Pardons for Living Individuals
The clemency also extended to several living individuals, including former House of Representatives member Farouk Lawan, who was jailed for bribery.
Others pardoned for showing “sufficient remorse” and readiness to reintegrate into society include Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia, Hussaini Umar, and Ayinla Saadu Alanamu. The list also featured Nweke Francis Chibueze, serving a life term for cocaine trafficking, and Nwogu Peters, who had served 12 years of a 17-year fraud sentence.
Broader Clemency and Review Process
The Council approved presidential mercy for a total of 82 inmates, reduced the sentences of 65 others, and commuted seven death sentences to life imprisonment.
The clemency followed the detailed review conducted by the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM), chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
The committee reviewed 294 applications and interviewed 175 inmates, basing its recommendations on criteria such as old age, terminal illness, long sentences, good conduct, and rehabilitation potential.
