President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved presidential pardon and clemency for 175 individuals, including posthumous pardons for late nationalist Herbert Macaulay, environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, and Major General Mamman Vatsa, as part of efforts to promote justice, reconciliation, and national healing.
The decision, announced on Saturday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, followed the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
According to the statement, the beneficiaries fall under six categories — pardon, posthumous pardon (including the Ogoni Nine), honouring victims of the Ogoni Nine, presidential clemency, reduced prison terms, and commutation of death sentences to life imprisonment.
Among those granted clemency are Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for the murder of her husband, and several inmates convicted of drug-related and minor offences. The statement said many of the pardons were based on good conduct, old age, ill health, or remorsefulness demonstrated during incarceration.
The posthumous pardon for the Ogoni Nine — led by Ken Saro-Wiwa, executed in 1995 — marks a historic gesture of reconciliation toward the Ogoni people and the Niger Delta region. Others in the group include Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawa, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine.
In addition, victims of the Ogoni Nine — Chief Albert Badey, Chief Edward Kobaru, Chief Samuel Orage, and Chief Theophilus Orage — were honoured posthumously for their role in Nigeria’s struggle for environmental justice.
Prominent figures such as Hon. Farouk Lawan, Ayinla Saadu Alanamu, and Barr. Hussaini Alhaji Umar, who had served prison terms for corruption and bribery, also received pardons.
The committee also recommended the reduction of sentences for dozens of inmates across correctional facilities, citing humanitarian grounds and the need to decongest prisons nationwide. Several death row inmates, including Emmanuel Baba and Emmanuel Gladstone, had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment for showing good conduct and remorse.
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The Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy was established to advise the President on granting pardons and clemency in deserving cases, ensuring fairness, compassion, and adherence to the rule of law.
This latest exercise reflects President Tinubu’s commitment to restorative justice and national unity, following similar actions by past administrations to correct historical injustices and promote reconciliation.
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