President Bola Tinubu has pardoned late nationalist Herbert Macaulay, Major-General Mamman Vatsa, and the Ogoni Nine after decades of controversy.
He also approved clemency for 82 inmates and honored 959 citizens and foreigners.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has granted posthumous pardons to several prominent Nigerians, including nationalist Herbert Macaulay, Major-General Mamman Vatsa, and the Ogoni Nine, who were executed in 1995 during the regime of General Sani Abacha.
The President also approved clemency for 82 inmates nationwide and conferred national honors on 959 Nigerians and foreigners for their contributions to the country’s progress.
Macaulay, co-founder of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) alongside Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, was convicted by British colonial authorities in 1913 and banned from public service. Although he died in 1946, his conviction remained on record until now.
Major-General Vatsa, a poet and officer executed in 1986 over an alleged coup plot, was among 17 individuals pardoned following the approval of the National Council of State, which met in Abuja on Thursday.
Others who received presidential pardon include former lawmaker Farouk Lawan, Mrs. Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia, Hussaini Umar, and Ayinla Saadu Alanamu.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said in a statement that the decision was based on recommendations from the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM), chaired by Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi. The statement added that the move was intended to help the beneficiaries reintegrate into society after showing genuine remorse.
Among those granted clemency were Nweke Francis Chibueze, who had been serving a life sentence for drug trafficking, and Dr. Nwogu Peters, who had completed 12 of a 17-year jail term for fraud.
The Ogoni Nine, including Ken Saro-Wiwa, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine, were formally pardoned, while the Ogoni Four, made up of Chief Albert Badey, Chief Edward Kobani, Chief Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage, received posthumous national honors.
According to the statement, the President granted clemency to 82 inmates, reduced the sentences of 65 others, and commuted the death sentences of seven inmates to life imprisonment.
The PACPM, inaugurated on January 15, 2025, by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, reviewed 294 applications and interviewed 175 inmates across correctional facilities. Its recommendations considered factors such as age, health condition, behavior, and rehabilitation efforts.
President Tinubu’s decision was seen as a step toward national reconciliation and a reflection of his administration’s ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening justice, rehabilitation, and unity in Nigeria.
