President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has granted posthumous pardons to Major General Mamman Jiya Vatsa and nationalist Herbert Macaulay, alongside a broad wave of clemency measures affecting 175 individuals, in one of the most sweeping exercises of presidential mercy in Nigeria’s recent history.
The decision followed the endorsement of the National Council of State, which convened in Abuja on Thursday to review recommendations from the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM).
Major General Vatsa, a celebrated poet and military officer, was executed in 1986 following a conviction for treason under the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida. His posthumous pardon marks a symbolic closure to one of Nigeria’s most controversial military trials.
Herbert Macaulay, widely regarded as the father of Nigerian nationalism and co-founder of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), was also pardoned. Convicted by British colonial authorities in 1913 and barred from public office, Macaulay died in 1946 with the stain of conviction still on his record. President Tinubu’s pardon formally restores his legacy.
The President also formally pardoned the Ogoni Nine—Ken Saro-Wiwa, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine executed in 1995 under the Abacha regime for their activism against environmental degradation in the Niger Delta.
In addition, national honours were posthumously awarded to the Ogoni Four: Chief Albert Badey, Chief Edward Kobani, Chief Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage.
Among the living beneficiaries were former House of Representatives member Farouk Lawan, Mrs Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia, Barrister Hussaini Umar, and Ayinla Saadu Alanamu. They were pardoned for demonstrating remorse and readiness to reintegrate into society.
Others include Nweke Francis Chibueze, serving a life sentence for drug trafficking, and Dr Nwogu Peters, who had completed 12 years of a 17-year sentence for fraud.
In total, 82 inmates received clemency, 65 had their prison terms reduced, and seven death row inmates had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment.
The PACPM, chaired by Attorney General and Justice Minister Prince Lateef Fagbemi, comprises 12 members, including legal experts, academics, and representatives from key institutions such as the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Correctional Service, National Human Rights Commission, and religious bodies.
The committee reviewed 294 cases, interviewing 175 inmates—160 male and 15 female. Recommendations were based on criteria including age (60+), terminal illness, youth (16 and under), long-term incarceration with good conduct, and vocational rehabilitation.
Senator George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, inaugurated the PACPM on January 15, 2025, as part of a broader initiative to promote justice, rehabilitation, and human rights.
The clemency exercise reflects President Tinubu’s commitment to restorative justice and national reconciliation, offering redemption to those who have paid their dues and restoring dignity to historical figures whose legacies were marred by controversial convictions.
