By Amofokhai Williams
President Bola Tinubu has exercised his constitutional power to grant presidential pardon to 175 individuals, including nationalist icon Herbert Macaulay, following approval by the National Council of State.
The clemency exercise, announced on Thursday, was adopted after the Council accepted recommendations from the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, as presented by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
Among the beneficiaries are historic figures whose convictions date back decades. The posthumous pardon extended to Macaulay, widely regarded as a founding figure of Nigerian nationalism, underscores efforts to correct perceived historical injustices.
Also reportedly on the list is Mamman Vatsa, the former general executed in 1986 after a controversial military tribunal.
A breakdown provided by Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, speaking after the Council meeting, indicated that of the 175 pardons: 82 inmates were fully pardoned, 65 had their sentences reduced, and seven death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.
Governor Sani said the initiative aligns with the administration’s goals of justice, rehabilitation, and national reconciliation.
Critics and observers suggest the pardons may also aim to reaffirm national unity, particularly by addressing legal and moral claims dating to the colonial and military eras.
It remains to be seen how the pardons will be received across judicial, political, and civil society quarters, particularly regarding the implications for precedent, historical memory, and justice reform in Nigeria.
