ABUJA: The Presidency has released the full list of 175 Nigerians who recently received a presidential pardon and clemency from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the decision 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, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi.
Onanuga explained that President Tinubu extended mercy to the convicts based on various considerations, including demonstrated remorse, good conduct, advanced age, acquisition of new vocational skills, and enrolment in the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).
He also noted that the President took the opportunity to correct a historic injustice against one of Nigeria’s foremost nationalists, Sir Herbert Macaulay, who was convicted by British colonial authorities in 1913 for alleged misappropriation of funds.
The statement listed beneficiaries drawn from various categories of offenders, including illegal miners, white-collar criminals, drug offenders, and capital convicts.
Among those granted posthumous pardons are Major-General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, executed in 1986 for alleged coup involvement, and the famous environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, alongside the other eight members of the Ogoni Nine executed in 1995.
Others pardoned posthumously include Sir Herbert Macaulay, as well as several historical figures connected to the Ogoni crisis.
In total, the Presidential Advisory Committee recommended clemency for 82 inmates, commutation of sentences for 65 others, and pardon for 17 former convicts — 11 of whom are deceased. Seven death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.
Among the high-profile names on the list are:
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Hon. Farouk Lawan, former federal lawmaker convicted of corrupt practices in 2021.
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Dr. Nwogu Peters, convicted in 2013 for fraud.
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Barr. Hussaini Alhaji Umar, sentenced in 2023 in connection with an ICPC case.
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Professor Magaji Garba, former Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Gusau, convicted for obtaining money by false pretence.
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Maryam Sanda, convicted in 2020 for culpable homicide, who received clemency after serving six years.
Others include several inmates jailed for drug-related and mining offences, whose sentences were either shortened or fully pardoned following evidence of rehabilitation and remorse.