Tinubu Grants Presidential Pardon To 175 Convicts

President Bola Tinubu has approved presidential pardon and clemency for 175 convicts and former convicts across Nigeria.

The list, released on Saturday by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, includes military officers, political figures, illegal miners, and inmates convicted of serious crimes.

According to the statement, the decision followed recommendations by the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by Attorney-General and Justice Minister Lateef Fagbemi.

Two inmates were released outright, 15 former convicts were pardoned — 11 posthumously — while 82 inmates received clemency. Sentences for 65 others were commuted, and seven death-row inmates had their sentences reduced to life imprisonment.

Those pardoned posthumously include Major General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, executed for an alleged 1986 coup plot, and Ken Saro-Wiwa with the Ogoni Eight, convicted in the controversial 1995 murder trial.

The pardon also extended to nationalist Sir Herbert Macaulay, jailed by British authorities in 1913.

Among the living beneficiaries is Maryam Sanda, sentenced to death in 2020 for killing her husband. Her clemency was based on good conduct and the welfare of her two children. Former lawmaker Farouk Lawan and Dr. Nwogu Peters, both convicted of corruption, were also listed after showing remorse and reform.

Eighty-two inmates convicted of offences such as drug trafficking, fraud, and illegal mining were granted clemency for demonstrating reform and completing vocational or educational training.

President Tinubu said the gesture reflects his administration’s belief in justice with compassion, offering reformed offenders a second chance.

The clemency, presented at a Council of State meeting chaired by the President, was described as a move toward healing historical injustices and promoting rehabilitation in society.