President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday chaired a Council of State meeting at the Villa, where 175 individuals were pardoned for sundry offences.
The approvals also included posthumous pardons for notable figures in Nigeria’s history, marking a significant gesture toward justice, reconciliation, and correctional reform.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, presented the recommendations, which were based on the report of the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy.
The exercise covered inmates serving various sentences and high-profile Nigerians who had long been subjects of public debate over the fairness of their convictions.
Among those pardoned posthumously is Herbert Macaulay, revered as the “father of Nigerian nationalism.” Twice convicted by the colonial authorities, Macaulay was jailed in 1913 over allegations of mismanaging estate funds, a prosecution historians continue to describe as politically motivated.
In 1928, he was again convicted of sedition after his Lagos Daily News published material critical of the British administration during the Eleko agitation, leading to a six-month prison sentence with hard labour.
Also granted pardon was Maj-Gen. Mamman Vatsa (retd.), a poet, former FCT minister, and childhood friend of ex-military ruler Ibrahim Babangida.
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Vatsa was executed by firing squad on March 5, 1986, after a secret tribunal convicted him of plotting a coup against Babangida’s government.
His execution has remained one of the most controversial in Nigeria’s history, prompting periodic calls for redress.
The list also featured members of the Ogoni Nine and Ogoni Four, executed under the military regime of General Sani Abacha in the 1990s. Their inclusion is seen as a symbolic step toward national healing and justice.
Speaking after the meeting, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani explained that 82 inmates received full pardons, 65 had their sentences reduced, and seven death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.
He stressed that the decision reflected President Tinubu’s commitment to fairness, justice, and correctional reform.
The Council also ratified important federal appointments. Dr. Aminu Yusuf of Niger State was confirmed as Chairman of the National Population Commission, while Tonge Bularafa was endorsed as Federal Commissioner representing Yobe State. Both appointments received unanimous approval.
Crediblenewsng.com
