Tinubu Grants Posthumous Pardon to Vatsa, Macaulay, Clears Ogoni Nine
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has granted a sweeping presidential pardon, including posthumous clemency for individuals such as Major General Mamman Jiya Vatsa and nationalist Herbert Macaulay. The decision, which followed the endorsement of the National Council of State, saw Vatsa, a renowned poet who was executed in 1986 over a treason charge, formally pardoned. Similarly, Macaulay, a key figure in Nigeria’s independence struggle who was allegedly unjustly convicted by British colonialists in 1913 and banned from public office, has had his name cleared of the ex-convict stigma. This move is a major step in rectifying historical injustices for both men.
The extensive clemency also covered the infamous Ogoni Nine, who were executed in 1995. 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, Chief Albert Badey, Chief Edward Kobani, Chief Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage, were awarded national honours. In addition to these historical pardons, President Tinubu granted clemency to four former convicts, including former House of Representatives member Farouk Lawan, to aid their reintegration into society following demonstrated remorse. Other pardoned ex-convicts include Mrs. Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia, Barrister Hussaini Umar, and Ayinla Saadu Alanamu, alongside two inmates serving time for life and fraud sentences.
The President exercised his constitutional power of mercy by granting clemency to 82 inmates and reducing the prison terms of 65 others. Furthermore, the sentences of seven inmates on death row were commuted to life imprisonment. These actions were based on recommendations from the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM), which considered various criteria, including old age, ill health, long-term imprisonment with good records, and demonstrable remorse. The PACPM, inaugurated earlier in 2025, aims to promote justice, rehabilitation, and human rights within the nation’s correctional system.
The Committee’s final report to the Council of State indicated that a total of 294 applications and inmates were considered, with 175 beneficiaries ultimately recommended for a variety of reliefs, including pardon, clemency, and sentence reduction. These broad acts of mercy underscore a commitment to both correcting historical wrongs and fostering rehabilitation for deserving individuals within the prison system.
