From Macaulay To Maryam Sanda: Tinubu’s Wide-Ranging Presidential Pardon List

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a sweeping presidential pardon and clemency list covering 175 convicts and former convicts, including historic figures, remorseful inmates, and national icons.

Those granted mercy include the late nationalist Sir Herbert Macaulay, Major General Mamman Vatsa, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and the Ogoni Eight, as well as a wide range of prisoners — from economic offenders to illegal miners and capital offenders such as Maryam Sanda.

The decision followed the approval of the National Council of State, which met on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at the State House, Abuja.

In a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the exercise was described as “a blend of justice, compassion, and corrective redress.”

Restoring Historical Justice

Among the most symbolic gestures was the posthumous pardon granted to Sir Herbert Macaulay, Nigeria’s foremost nationalist, who was jailed and banned from public service in 1913 by British colonial authorities.

President Tinubu said the move was part of efforts to “right historical wrongs” and reaffirm Nigeria’s independence from colonial misjudgments.

Also pardoned posthumously was Major General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, executed in 1986 over an alleged coup plot.

The Ogoni Nine Receive Justice

Equally significant was the posthumous pardon of the Ogoni Nine, including environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, who were executed in 1995 under the Abacha regime.

Other members of the group include Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawa, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine.

President Tinubu said their exoneration was a reaffirmation of his administration’s commitment to justice, reconciliation, and national healing, particularly in the Niger Delta.

Breakdown of the Clemency List

The Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM), chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, SAN, recommended clemency for the 175 individuals.

The approvals include:

• 2 inmates for full pardon,
• 15 former convicts (11 posthumous),
• 82 inmates for clemency,
• 65 inmates for commutation of sentences, and
• 7 inmates on death row whose sentences were converted to life imprisonment.

Prince Fagbemi presented the report during the Council of State meeting presided over by President Tinubu.

Those Pardoned

1. Nweke Francis Chibueze (44) – Serving life imprisonment for cocaine trafficking at Kirikiri Prison.
2. Dr. Nwogu Peters (67) – Serving 17 years for fraud (sentenced in 2013).
3. Mrs. Anastasia Daniel Nwaoba (63) – Served sentence for fraud.
4. Barr. Hussaini Alhaji Umar (58) – Convicted in 2023; fined ?150 million by ICPC.
5. Ayinla Saadu Alanamu (63) – Served seven-year sentence for bribery (2019).
6. Hon. Farouk M. Lawan (62) – Served five-year sentence for corruption (2021).

Maryam Sanda and Others Granted Clemency

Among the beneficiaries of clemency is Maryam Sanda (37), convicted in 2020 for culpable homicide in the death of her husband. Her case drew national attention, but her family appealed to the government citing good conduct, remorse, and the welfare of her two children.

Others include illegal miners, foreign nationals, and drug offenders who have shown good behaviour and acquired skills through the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and prison vocational programs.

Notably, Senator Ikra Aliyu Bilbis volunteered to rehabilitate and empower all convicted illegal miners freed under the clemency initiative.

Commutations and Life Sentences

President Tinubu also approved the commutation of death sentences for seven inmates, converting them to life imprisonment, citing their age, remorse, and reformation.

Those affected include:

1. Emmanuel Baba (38) – Culpable homicide (Kuje).
2. Emmanuel Gladstone (45) – Murder (Katsina).
3. Moses Ayodele Olorunfemi (51) – Culpable homicide (Katsina).
4. Abubakar Usman (59) – Death sentence (Katsina).
5. Khalifa Umar (37) – Death sentence (Kano).
6. Benjamin Ekeze (40) – Armed robbery (Kirikiri).
7. Mohammed Umar (43) – Culpable homicide (Onitsha).

“Mercy Is the Strength of a Just Nation”

President Tinubu emphasized that the exercise aligns with his administration’s justice sector reform agenda, adding that mercy reflects strength, not weakness.

“Mercy is the strength of a just nation,” the President said. “This action is not about erasing wrongdoing, but about offering redemption, reconciliation, and fairness to those who have shown genuine change.”

He reaffirmed that his government would continue to uphold restorative justice, balancing punishment with rehabilitation, and law with compassion.