President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a series of presidential pardons and clemency measures, including posthumous pardons for Major General Mamman Jiya Vatsa and nationalist Herbert Macaulay, as well as clemency for 82 inmates across Nigeria’s correctional facilities.
The decision followed the endorsement of the National Council of State, which met in Abuja on Thursday to consider recommendations from the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM).
Vatsa, a soldier and poet who was executed in 1986 on treason charges under the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, received a posthumous presidential pardon nearly four decades after his death. Similarly, Herbert Macaulay—often described as the father of Nigerian nationalism and co-founder of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) with Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe—was also pardoned posthumously.
Macaulay, who died in 1946, was unjustly convicted by British colonial authorities in 1913 and barred from holding public office. President Tinubu’s pardon, the statement noted, effectively removes that historical stain from his record.
The President also granted pardons to four notable Nigerians: Farouk Lawan, former House of Representatives member; Mrs. Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia; Barr. Hussaini Umar; and Ayinla Saadu Alanamu. The individuals were said to have demonstrated sufficient remorse and reintegration potential.
Two other inmates—Nweke Francis Chibueze, serving a life sentence for cocaine-related offences, and Dr. Nwogu Peters, who had served 12 years of a 17-year fraud sentence—also received clemency.
In a historic gesture of reconciliation, President Tinubu formally pardoned the “Ogoni Nine” — environmental rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and his colleagues Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine — nearly 30 years after their execution under the Sani Abacha regime.
At the same time, national honours were conferred posthumously on four prominent Ogoni leaders — Chief Albert Badey, Chief Edward Kobani, Chief Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage — described as the “Ogoni Four.”
According to the report presented to the Council of State, 82 inmates were granted presidential clemency, while 65 others had their prison terms reduced. The sentences of seven inmates on death row were commuted to life imprisonment.
The PACPM, chaired by Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), comprises 12 members including legal experts, academics, and representatives of key institutions such as the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Correctional Service, National Human Rights Commission, and the Christian and Islamic religious councils.
The committee’s report stated:
“A total of 175 inmates were interviewed and 62 applications were received on behalf of 119 inmates, making a total of 294 considered. Eighty-two inmates were recommended for clemency, two for full pardon, 65 for sentence reduction, and seven for commutation from death to life imprisonment. Fifteen ex-convicts were also recommended for presidential pardon — eleven of whom are deceased, including the Ogoni Nine.”
The criteria for clemency included old age (60 years and above), terminal illness, youth (16 years and below), long-term incarceration with good conduct, and exemplary behaviour as recommended by correctional officers.
President Tinubu’s exercise of constitutional mercy, the report added, was aimed at promoting rehabilitation, justice reform, and national healing.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, had inaugurated the PACPM on January 15, 2025, as part of the administration’s broader strategy to advance human rights and justice reform.
The statement was signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
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