ABUJA: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent decision to grant presidential pardon and clemency to 175 individuals including convicted drug traffickers, murderers, and corrupt politicians has sparked a nationwide outcry, drawing strong criticism from opposition parties, rights groups, and political commentators.
The list, released by the Presidency on Saturday, included names such as the late nationalist Herbert Macaulay, the late Major General Mamman Vatsa, and Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death for killing her husband.
Also, among the pardoned were over 30 convicted drug offenders and several others serving sentences for fraud, homicide, and illegal mining.
While the Federal Government described the move as a gesture of mercy and national healing, critics insist it represents a betrayal of justice and a major setback to Nigeria’s anti-drug and anti-corruption efforts.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC), in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi, slammed the decision, calling it a national disgrace and an abuse of presidential powers.
Granting clemency to dozens of convicts held for drug trafficking, smuggling, and violent crimes many of whom have barely served two years of their sentences makes a mockery of justice, the ADC said.
The party warned that such actions encourage criminality, undermine law enforcement efforts, and damage Nigeria’s international reputation, especially at a time when the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) is risking lives to fight narcotics.
NDLEA officers have paid with their lives to rid Nigeria of drugs, the ADC continued. Freeing those convicted under the same laws dishonours their sacrifices and portrays Nigeria as a safe haven for traffickers.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also condemned the decision, describing it as “shocking, indefensible, and morally troubling.
According to Atiku, the prerogative of mercy should be used sparingly to correct miscarriages of justice and reward genuine reform, not to absolve individuals guilty of drug trafficking, murder, and corruption.
This latest pardon has done the opposite of justice, Atiku stated. It weakens public confidence in the rule of law, insults victims, and demoralizes law enforcement. Clemency must never be confused with complicity.
He further questioned the timing and moral basis of the pardons, pointing out that 29.2 percent of those freed were convicted of drug-related offences a troubling statistic in a country still battling rampant substance abuse among youths.
At a time when our youth are being destroyed by narcotics, granting clemency to drug traffickers is not compassion; it is complicity, he said.
Atiku also alluded to lingering concerns about President Tinubu’s own historical controversies relating to a U.S. drug-related forfeiture case, calling the pardons a moral irony that reinforces public doubts about the administration’s stance on criminal enterprise.
Civil society organizations have joined the chorus of criticism, demanding a full review of the pardon process and greater transparency in future clemency decisions.
Many Nigerians on social media have expressed anger, describing the move as an insult to victims of violent crimes and a setback for justice reform, while others argue that the President should instead focus on freeing poor inmates who have spent years in jail without trial.
If there’s anyone deserving of mercy, it’s the poor and forgotten in our prisons not the rich and connected, one commentator wrote.
As public debate intensifies, analysts warn that the controversy could further erode confidence in the Tinubu administration, already grappling with economic hardship, security crises, and rising moral discontent.
For many Nigerians, the pardon has become a symbol of misplaced priorities and a reminder that in the country’s justice system, power still determines mercy.
