Tinubu pardons Herbert Macaulay, Vatsa, Lawan, grants clemency to 82 inmates
President exercises constitutional power of mercy, posthumously clears nationalist Herbert Macaulay and 1986 coup convict Mamman Vatsa
President Bola Tinubu has granted presidential pardons to 17 individuals, including Nigerian nationalist Herbert Macaulay and the late Mamman Jiya Vatsa, a former minister executed in 1986 over alleged treason.
Tinubu approved the pardons following the endorsement of the national council of state, which met in Abuja on Thursday.
The move, according to the presidency, reflects Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to justice, national reconciliation, and human rights.
Macaulay, co-founder of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) alongside the late Nnamdi Azikiwe, was unjustly convicted by the British colonial authorities in 1913 and barred from public office.
The posthumous pardon effectively clears his name nearly 80 years after his death in 1946.
Vatsa, a poet and military officer executed under Ibrahim Babangida’s regime, was also posthumously pardoned.
The decision symbolically restores his reputation nearly four decades after his controversial death sentence.
Other beneficiaries include former house of representatives’ member Farouk Lawan, Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia, Hussaini Umar, and Ayinla Saadu Alanamu, who were granted clemency to reintegrate into society after showing remorse.
Also pardoned were Nweke Francis Chibueze, serving a life sentence for cocaine-related offences, and Nwogu Peters, who had served 12 of a 17-year jail term for fraud.
The president further pardoned the Ogoni Nine — including environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa — and awarded national honours to the Ogoni Four: Albert Badey, Edward Kobani, Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage.
In line with his constitutional prerogative of mercy, Tinubu granted clemency to 82 inmates, reduced the sentences of 65 others, and commuted the death sentences of seven inmates to life imprisonment.
The decisions followed the recommendations of the presidential advisory committee on the prerogative of mercy (PACPM), chaired by Lateef Fagbemi, the attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice.
Other members of the 12-person committee include Akinlolu Olujinmi, Alkasum Abba, Nike Ijaiya, Augustine Utsaha, and Onwusoro Maduka (secretary).
Institutional representatives from the Police, Correctional Service, Human Rights Commission, and faith-based bodies also participated.
According to the committee’s report, 294 applications were reviewed — covering 175 inmates and 119 additional cases — with recommendations based on criteria such as old age, terminal illness, good conduct, and demonstrated remorse.
George Akume, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), inaugurated the committee on January 15, 2025, as part of efforts to promote justice, rehabilitation, and human rights in the country.
