President Bola Tinubu has granted posthumous pardons to Herbert Macaulay and Major General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, alongside clemency to 82 inmates and sentence reductions for 65 others, in a sweeping exercise of the presidential prerogative of mercy.
Vatsa, a poet and military officer executed for treason in 1986, was among 17 individuals pardoned following the endorsement of the National Council of State at its meeting in Abuja on Thursday.
Macaulay, a nationalist and co-founder of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), was convicted by British colonial authorities in 1913 and banned from public office.
Though he died in 1946, the conviction remained on record until President Tinubu formally expunged it.
The President also pardoned four former convicts, including former House of Representatives member Farouk Lawan, Mrs Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia, Barrister Hussaini Umar, and Ayinla Saadu Alanamu.
According to the government, they were pardoned after demonstrating genuine remorse and readiness to reintegrate into society.
Others who benefited include Nweke Francis Chibueze, serving a life sentence for drug offences, and Dr Nwogu Peters, who had served 12 of a 17-year sentence for fraud.
In a historic move, the Ogoni Nine — Ken Saro-Wiwa, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine — were posthumously pardoned.
Tinubu also awarded national honours to the Ogoni Four: Chief Albert Badey, Chief Edward Kobani, Chief Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage.
Acting on the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM), Tinubu granted clemency to 82 inmates, reduced the prison terms of 65 others, and commuted the death sentences of seven inmates to life imprisonment.
The 12-member committee is chaired by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN). Its report, presented to the Council of State on Thursday, detailed the process of reviewing 294 cases, including applications on behalf of 119 inmates.
Of the 175 inmates interviewed, 82 were recommended for clemency, two for pardon, 65 for sentence reduction, and seven for commutation.
Additionally, 15 ex-convicts were recommended for presidential pardon, 11 of whom are deceased, including the Ogoni Nine.
Recommendations were based on criteria such as old age (60 years and above), terminal illness, youth (16 years and below), long-term incarceration with good conduct, and evidence of rehabilitation through vocational skills.
The PACPM was inaugurated on 15 January 2025 by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, to advance justice, rehabilitation, and human rights.
