Tinubu grants clemency to 82 inmates, pardons Herbert Macaulay, Vatsa, Farouk Lawan
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a series of presidential pardons and clemencies, including posthumous pardons for Nigerian nationalist Herbert Macaulay and the late poet and military officer, Major General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, who was executed in 1986 after a treason trial.
The President also granted clemency to 82 inmates and reduced the prison terms of 65 others, while seven death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment. The decisions were endorsed by the National Council of State at its meeting held on Thursday in Abuja.
Among those pardoned are Farouk Lawan, a former member of the House of Representatives; Mrs. Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia; Barrister Hussaini Umar; and Ayinla Saadu Alanamu. According to the Presidency, they were granted clemency after demonstrating remorse and readiness for reintegration into society.
Also pardoned were Nweke Francis Chibueze, who was serving a life sentence for drug-related offences, and Dr. Nwogu Peters, who had completed 12 of his 17-year sentence for fraud.
In a historic move, President Tinubu also granted a posthumous pardon to the Ogoni Nine, including renowned environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, and awarded national honours to the Ogoni Four — Chief Albert Badey, Chief Edward Kobani, Chief Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage — as part of efforts to heal longstanding wounds from the Niger Delta crisis.
The posthumous pardon for Herbert Macaulay clears the 1913 colonial-era conviction that barred him from public service. The nationalist, who co-founded the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) with Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, played a key role in Nigeria’s independence movement.
Similarly, the pardon for Major General Vatsa, a respected soldier and poet, was described as a recognition of his “service to the nation and the need for historical closure.”
The exercise followed the recommendations 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 12-member committee includes former Attorney General Chief Akinlolu Olujinmi (CON), Prof. Alkasum Abba, Prof. (Mrs.) Nike Y. Sidikat Ijaiya, Justice Augustine B. Utsaha, and Secretary Dr. Onwusoro Maduka, among other representatives of key national institutions.
