BREAKING: Presidency Releases Details Of Presidential Pardon, Clemency

• The Presidency has released the full list of 175 Nigerians and foreigners granted presidential pardon and clemency by President Tinubu.

The Presidency has released full details of the Presidential Pardon and Clemency approved by the National Council of State during its meeting last week.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made this known on Saturday, releasing the comprehensive list of 175 beneficiaries of the presidential mercy initiative.

Council Grants 175 Pardons

The National Council of State meeting, presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, approved pardon and clemency for 175 persons — including late Herbert Macaulay, Major-General Mamman Vatsa, and Farouk Lawan.

According to Onanuga, the beneficiaries include illegal miners, white-collar convicts, remorseful drug offenders, and some foreigners.

Among them are Maryam Sanda, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and the Ogoni Eight, who also received the President’s mercy following a review by the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy.

Why They Were Pardoned

Onanuga explained that President Tinubu approved the clemency after considering reports showing that many of the convicts had demonstrated remorse, discipline, and good conduct.

Some were also pardoned due to old age, acquisition of vocational skills, or participation in academic programmes like the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

He added that Tinubu’s decision also sought to correct the historic injustice committed against Sir Herbert Macaulay, one of Nigeria’s earliest nationalists, by the British colonial administration.

Recommendations of the Mercy Committee

The Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by Attorney-General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), recommended:

• Pardon for 2 inmates and 15 former convicts (11 of them deceased).
• Clemency for 82 inmates.
• Commutation of sentences for 65 inmates.
• Seven death-row inmates to have their sentences changed to life imprisonment.

Fagbemi presented the report to the Council, which approved the recommendations after deliberations.

Full List of Notable Beneficiaries

Pardoned individuals include:

• Nweke Francis Chibueze (44) – serving life imprisonment at Kirikiri for cocaine offences.
• Dr. Nwogu Peters (67) – jailed 17 years for fraud in 2013.
• Mrs. Anastasia Daniel Nwaoba (63) – convicted for fraud, now pardoned.
• Barr. Hussaini Alhaji Umar (58) – fined ₦150m in an ICPC case in 2023.
• Ayinla Saadu Alanamu (63) – jailed for bribery in 2019, now released.
• Hon. Farouk Lawan (62) – served five years (2021) for corruption, now cleared.

Posthumous Pardons Granted

Posthumous clemency was granted to:

• Sir Herbert Macaulay – convicted in 1913 by British colonial authorities.
• Major-General Mamman Jiya Vatsa – executed in 1986 following an alleged coup plot.

The Ogoni Nine Redeemed

Also pardoned posthumously were the Ogoni Nine, led by Ken Saro-Wiwa, executed in 1995.

Others include Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawa, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine.

Onanuga described the gesture as a “historic correction and moral redemption” for the victims of the Ogoni crisis.

Honour for Victims of the Ogoni Killings

The victims of the Ogoni conflict honoured include Chief Albert Badey, Chief Edward Kobaru, Chief Samuel Orage, and Chief Theophilus Orage.

The Presidency said the recognition was part of efforts to heal old wounds, promote unity, and strengthen national reconciliation.

The 175-person clemency list is regarded as one of the broadest acts of mercy in Nigeria’s democratic era — blending justice with compassion.

Observers say it highlights Tinubu’s attempt to balance reconciliation and reform, setting a tone for restorative justice in the country’s governance.