President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday granted presidential pardons to several prominent Nigerians, including Herbert Macaulay, one of the country’s founding fathers, and Major General Mamman Vatsa (retd), a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory under General Ibrahim Babangida’s regime.
Vatsa, a soldier and poet, was executed in 1986 after being convicted of treason, while Macaulay was twice convicted by the colonial government in Lagos, including a 1913 conviction for alleged misappropriation of funds, which historians have long described as politically motivated and unfair.
The decision was part of recommendations endorsed by the National Council of State at its meeting in Abuja on Thursday.
President Tinubu also granted posthumous pardons to Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria’s first president and leader of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), and to the Ogoni Nine, including Ken Saro-Wiwa, who were executed in 1995 by the Abacha regime. In addition, Chief Albert Badey, Chief Edward Kobani, Chief Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage (the Ogoni Four) received national honours.
Among the 17 individuals pardoned were Farouk Lawan, former member of the House of Representatives; Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia; Barrister Hussaini Umar; and Ayinla Saadu Alanamu, all of whom were said to have shown remorse and a willingness to reintegrate into society. Nweke Francis Chibueze, serving a life sentence for cocaine trafficking, and Dr. Nwogu Peters, who had served 12 of 17 years for fraud, were also pardoned.
President Tinubu further extended clemency to 82 inmates, reduced the sentences of 65 others, and commuted the death sentences of seven prisoners to life imprisonment.
The action followed the recommendation of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM), chaired by Attorney General and Minister of Justice Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN). The committee comprises notable figures including Chief Akinlolu Olujinmi (CON), Prof. Alkasum Abba, Prof. Nike Y. Sidikat Ijaiya, and Justice Augustine Utsaha, among others.
According to the committee’s report presented to the Council of State, 175 inmates and ex-convicts were recommended for various forms of clemency based on criteria such as old age (60+ years), life-threatening illnesses, good prison conduct, and rehabilitation through vocational training.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume, had inaugurated the PACPM on January 15, 2025, as part of the administration’s efforts to promote justice, rehabilitation, and respect for human rights in Nigeria.
What you should know
Herbert Macaulay, often called the Father of Nigerian Nationalism, was one of the earliest figures to challenge colonial rule through activism and journalism.
His pardon, alongside that of Mamman Vatsa and others, marks a symbolic gesture by President Tinubu to reconcile historical injustices and promote national healing.
