Tinubu grants presidential pardon to 175 people, including Herbert Macaulay and Mamman Vatsa. 82 freed, 65 have sentences reduced, 7 death penalties commuted.
Tinubu grants presidential pardon to 175 Nigerians, including iconic nationalist Herbert Macaulay and former FCT Minister Major-General Mamman Vatsa, following Thursday’s Council of State meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
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The decision was reached after the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), presented the report of the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy to the Council. President Bola Tinubu’s recommendations were approved without objection.
Out of the 175 beneficiaries, 82 inmates were granted full pardons, 65 had their sentences reduced, and 7 death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.
Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, who briefed State House correspondents after the meeting, said, “The decision underscores the President’s commitment to justice and correctional reform.”
Among the high-profile recipients is Herbert Macaulay, widely regarded as the father of Nigerian nationalism.
Macaulay was convicted twice under colonial rule — first in 1913 for alleged misappropriation while managing an estate, and again in 1928 for sedition during the Eleko agitation. Both charges have long been viewed by historians as politically motivated.
Also pardoned posthumously is Major-General Mamman Vatsa, a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and childhood friend of former military ruler Ibrahim Babangida.
Vatsa was executed in 1986 after being convicted of plotting a coup — a case that has remained controversial for nearly four decades.
Members of the Ogoni Nine and Ogoni Four, executed and imprisoned during the environmental justice struggles of the 1990s, are also among the recipients of clemency, though full details of the list are yet to be released.
Tinubu grants presidential pardon at a time when Nigeria’s justice system is under renewed scrutiny, with growing calls for correctional reform and humane sentencing practices.
The clemency reflects a broader push by the administration to balance justice with mercy, particularly for those with controversial or politically charged convictions.
The Council also ratified key national appointments during the meeting. Dr. Aminu Yusuf, from Niger State, was confirmed as Chairman of the National Population Commission, and Tonge Bularafa was approved as Federal Commissioner representing Yobe State. Both appointments received unanimous endorsement from Council members.
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The presidential prerogative of mercy is exercised under Section 175 of the Nigerian Constitution, allowing the President to grant pardons and reprieves, reduce sentences, and commute capital punishment in deserving cases.
