On Thursday, the Council of State approved the exercise of the presidential prerogative of mercy for 175 persons across different categories.
The decision followed a presentation by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), who conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s recommendations based on the report of the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy during the council meeting held at the State House, Abuja.
Although the full list of beneficiaries is yet to be released, pardons were granted to Herbert Macaulay, Nigeria’s nationalist icon, and Maj.-Gen. Mamman Vatsa (retd.), a former FCT minister, was executed in 1986 under the Babangida regime. Members of the Ogoni Nine and Ogoni Four were also named among the beneficiaries.
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Macaulay, regarded as the father of Nigerian nationalism, was twice jailed by the British colonial authorities — in 1913 for alleged fund misappropriation and in 1928 for sedition following his newspaper’s publication during the Eleko of Lagos crisis. Historians have long questioned the fairness of his convictions.
Vatsa, a poet and member of the Supreme Military Council, was executed by firing squad for an alleged coup attempt, a case that has remained controversial for decades, with repeated calls for a posthumous pardon.
Of the 175 approved cases, 82 inmates received full pardons, 65 had their sentences reduced, while seven death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State said the decision reflects President Tinubu’s “commitment to justice, fairness, and correctional reform.”
The meeting, chaired by the President, also ratified key 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 nominations were unanimously endorsed.
