Tinubu Grants Posthumous Pardons to Macaulay, Vatsa, SaroWiwa and Others

President Bola Tinubu has granted state pardons to 17 Nigerians, including the late nationalist Herbert Macaulay, and former military officer Major General Mamman Vatsa, who was executed in 1986 after being convicted of treason.

The decision followed the approval of the National Council of State during its meeting in Abuja on Thursday.

The President’s move is part of a wider exercise to correct historical wrongs and promote rehabilitation and justice within the country’s legal system. Among those pardoned were both deceased and living persons who had either served prison terms or were found deserving of clemency due to old age, illness, or remorseful conduct.

Herbert Macaulay, co-founder of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) alongside Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, was convicted by the British colonial authorities in 1913 and barred from holding public office. Although he died in 1946, the mark of conviction remained on his record until President Tinubu’s pardon restored his name to honour.

Also on the list was Major General Mamman Vatsa, a respected soldier, poet, and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, who was executed during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida. His pardon comes nearly four decades after his death, marking a moment of closure for his family and supporters who had long called for his exoneration.

The President also granted pardons to four individuals, including former lawmaker Farouk Lawan, former Permanent Secretary Mrs Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia, Barrister Hussaini Umar, and Ayinla Saadu Alanamu. Their clemency allows them to reintegrate into society after serving time for various offences and showing good conduct.

Two other prisoners, Nweke Francis Chibueze and Dr Nwogu Peters, who had been serving long sentences for drug and fraud offences respectively, were also granted presidential mercy. In addition, the Ogoni Four — Chief Albert Badey, Chief Edward Kobani, Chief Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage — received posthumous national honours in recognition of their roles in the struggle for justice and environmental rights in the Niger Delta.

Through this exercise, President Tinubu extended mercy to 82 inmates across the country’s correctional centres, while 65 others had their sentences reduced. Seven inmates on death row had their punishments commuted to life imprisonment. The action followed the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, led by Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi.

The committee’s report indicated that 175 inmates were interviewed, with 119 applications reviewed on their behalf. Of these, 82 inmates were cleared for clemency, 65 for sentence reduction, and seven for commutation from death to life imprisonment. Fifteen ex-convicts were recommended for full pardon, including eleven who are deceased.

The committee based its recommendations on several factors, including age, health, length of time served, demonstrated remorse, and good conduct during incarceration. It also considered those who had acquired vocational skills and were deemed ready for reintegration into society.

The Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy was inaugurated in January 2025 by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume. Its creation marked a renewed effort by the Tinubu administration to promote justice reform, human rights, and rehabilitation within Nigeria’s correctional system.

The latest round of pardons, especially those involving long-deceased figures like Macaulay and Vatsa, reflects a desire by the government to heal old wounds and rewrite the moral record of those who contributed to the nation’s history in various ways.