By Peter Omopo
President Bola Tinubu has granted presidential pardon to 175 persons, including Nigeria’s nationalist icon Herbert Macaulay and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Maj.-Gen. Mamman Vatsa (retd.), as part of a new exercise of the Presidential Prerogative of Mercy.
The decision followed recommendations presented by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), during the Council of State meeting held on Thursday at the State House, Abuja.
According to Fagbemi, the list of beneficiaries emerged from the report of the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, which reviewed cases of historical and contemporary interest.
Prominent Names Among Beneficiaries
Although the full list has not been officially published, sources at the meeting confirmed that both Herbert Macaulay, often regarded as the father of Nigerian nationalism, and Maj.-Gen. Mamman Vatsa, executed in 1986, were among those pardoned.
“Herbert Macaulay and Vatsa are the two major ones on that list,” a source told The PUNCH.
Also included are members of the Ogoni Nine and Ogoni Four, the groups executed in 1995 under the Abacha regime following their activism in the Niger Delta.
A Posthumous Redress
Herbert Macaulay, a Lagos-born nationalist, journalist, and surveyor, was twice convicted by colonial authorities — first in 1913 for alleged misappropriation of estate funds and again in 1928 for sedition following the Eleko of Lagos agitation. His prosecutions have long been viewed as politically motivated attempts to silence anti-colonial activism.
Maj.-Gen. Mamman Vatsa, a soldier, poet, and childhood friend of then military ruler Ibrahim Babangida, was executed on March 5, 1986, after being convicted by a secret military tribunal for an alleged coup plot. His execution remains one of Nigeria’s most controversial political cases, with persistent public calls for a posthumous pardon.
Breakdown of Clemency Decisions
Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State provided a breakdown of the clemency exercise:
- 82 inmates received full presidential pardons.
- 65 inmates had their sentences reduced.
- 7 death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.
Governor Sani said the move reflected President Tinubu’s commitment to justice reform, compassion, and rehabilitation within the correctional system.
“The decision underscores the President’s dedication to correctional reforms and humane governance,” Sani noted.
Council of State Approvals
The meeting, chaired by President Tinubu, also ratified key national appointments, including Dr. Aminu Yusuf from Niger State as Chairman of the National Population Commission and Tonge Bularafa as Federal Commissioner representing Yobe State.
Both appointments received unanimous approval from the council, which includes serving and former presidents, governors, and top government officials.
With the latest exercise, President Tinubu joins a line of Nigerian leaders who have used the prerogative of mercy to correct historical injustices, promote national reconciliation, and decongest the country’s correctional facilities.
