President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday granted presidential pardon and clemency to 175 convicts and former convicts, including high-profile names such as Major General Mamman Vatsa, Major S.A. Akubo, Professor Magaji Garba, and Maryam Sanda, as well as the posthumous exoneration of Ken Saro-Wiwa and other members of the Ogoni Nine executed in 1995.
The exercise followed the recommendation of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM), chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN). The committee presented its report at the Council of State meeting, presided over by President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to Fagbemi, the President exercised his constitutional powers under Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), granting various forms of relief — including full pardon, posthumous pardon, sentence commutation, and clemency — to deserving inmates and former convicts based on good conduct, old age, remorse, ill health, or acquisition of vocational skills.
President Tinubu also corrected historical wrongs by granting a posthumous pardon to Sir Herbert Macaulay, Nigeria’s foremost nationalist, who was convicted by British colonial authorities in 1913.
Beneficiaries of Presidential Pardon
Pardoned
- Nweke Francis Chibueze (44) – Serving life at Kirikiri for cocaine
- Dr. Nwogu Peters (67) – 17-year jail term for fraud (2013)
- Mrs. Anastasia Daniel Nwaoba (63) – Served sentence for fraud
- Barr. Hussaini Alhaji Umar (58) – N150m fine (ICPC case, 2023)
- Ayinla Saadu Alanamu (63) – 7 years for bribery (2019)
- Hon. Farouk M. Lawan (62) – 5 years for corruption (2021)
Posthumous Pardon
- Sir Herbert Macaulay – Banned from public office in 1913 by British colonialists.
- Major General Mamman Jiya Vatsa (46) – Sentenced in 1986 for alleged coup plot.
Posthumous Pardon: The Ogoni Nine
- Ken Saro-Wiwa
- Saturday Dobee
- Nordu Eawa
- Daniel Gbooko
- Paul Levera
- Felix Nuate
- Baribor Bera
- Barinem Kiobel
- John Kpuine
Victims of the Ogoni Nine Honoured
Chief Albert Badey
Chief Edward Kobaru
Chief Samuel Orage
Chief Theophilus Orage
Presidential Clemency Beneficiaries
(Most beneficiaries showed remorse, good conduct, or learned skills in prison)
Notable Names Include:
Aluagwu Lawrence (47) – Indian hemp (2015)
Ben Friday (60) – Marijuana, 2023
Kelvin Christopher Smith (42) – Cocaine import, 2023
Akinrinnade Adebiyi (47) – Tramadol, 2023
Adeniyi Jimoh (31) – Drugs, 2015
Ife Yusuf (37) – Human trafficking, 2019
Daniel Bodunwa (43) – Forgery, 2018
Lina Kusum Wilson (34) – Death for homicide, 2017 (now freed)
Ex-Corporal Michael Bawa (72) – Life for murder (2005), served 20 years
Babangida Saliu (35) – Unlawful mining, 2024
Maryam Sanda (37) – Death sentence (2020) for culpable homicide, now pardoned after six years, following good conduct and family appeal on behalf of her children.
(Full list includes 82 inmates granted clemency and 65 with commuted sentences, many convicted for unlawful mining, drugs, and fraud. Senator Ikra Aliyu Bilbis undertook responsibility for rehabilitating all pardoned illegal miners.)
List of Inmates with Reduced Sentences
Among the 65 convicts whose sentences were reduced:
Yusuf Owolabi (36) – Life for manslaughter (2015), reduced to 12 years.
Malam Ibrahim Sulaiman (59) – Life for armed robbery (2022), now 10 years.
Ajasper Benzeger (69) – 20 years for culpable homicide (2015), cut to 12 years.
Ifenna Kennechukwu (42) – 20 years for drugs, cut to 12 years.
Professor Magaji Garba (67) – 7 years for fraud (2021), reduced to 4 years for good conduct and old age.
Major S.A. Akubo (62) – Life for removing 7,000 weapons (2009), reduced to 20 years.
Kelvin Oniarah Ezigbe (44) – 20 years for kidnapping, cut to 13 years.
Chief Emeka Agbodike (69) – 7 years for obtaining property by false pretence (2023), reduced to 3 years.
Umanah Ekaette Umanah (70) – 10 years for forgery (2022), reduced to 5 years.
Markus Yusuf (41) – 13 years for culpable homicide (2023), reduced to 5 years on health grounds.
(Full list includes over 60 inmates across various custodial centres, reflecting compassionate justice based on rehabilitation and conduct.)
Death Sentences Commuted to Life Imprisonment
- Emmanuel Baba (38) – Culpable homicide (2017), Kuje
- Emmanuel Gladstone (45) – Murder (2020), Katsina
- Moses Ayodele Olurunfemi (51) – Culpable homicide (2012), Katsina
- Abubakar Usman (59) – Death (2014), now life
- Khalifa Umar (37) – Death (2014), Kano
- Benjamin Ekeze (40) – Armed robbery (2017), Kirikiri
- Mohammed Umar (43) – Culpable homicide (2018), Onitsha
A Blend of Justice and Mercy
Attorney-General Fagbemi explained that the exercise reflects the Tinubu administration’s commitment to “justice with compassion”, acknowledging rehabilitation and human dignity within Nigeria’s correctional system.
“Mr. President has demonstrated that the Prerogative of Mercy is not an escape for impunity but a reaffirmation of our faith in redemption, fairness, and second chances,” Fagbemi said.
The 175 beneficiaries include:
2 inmates granted full pardon
15 former convicts (11 posthumously pardoned)
82 inmates granted clemency
65 with reduced terms
7 death-row inmates whose sentences were commuted to life imprisonment
With this gesture, President Tinubu joins a tradition of Nigerian leaders using the power of mercy to correct historic wrongs and promote national healing.
