President Bola Tinubu has granted pardons to 120 criminals under the prerogative of mercy, reducing an initial list of 175 beneficiaries to 120, citing his commitment to ongoing judicial and penitentiary reforms.
Bayo Onanuga, the president’s special adviser on information and strategy, said in a statement on Wednesday that the move was necessary due to the seriousness and security implications of some of the previously forgiven offences, as well as the need to be sensitive to the feelings of crime victims and society.
Maryam Sanda, who was condemned to death for murdering her husband in 2017, was pardoned on the original list.
Prior to its assessment, the list also included drug criminals, illicit miners, and white-collar prisoners.
The pardon registry drew significant criticism, with many Nigerians claiming that several of the recipients were undeserving of mercy.
According to the amended list, the president rescinded Sanda’s pardon and modified her death sentence to twelve years in prison.
Many drug convicts, like Nweke Francis Chibueze, 44, who was pardoned while serving a life sentence in Kirikiri for cocaine, were also removed from the mercy list.
Nwogu Peters, 67, who was previously given pardon while serving a 17-year prison sentence for fraud, was omitted from the updated beneficiaries.
Onanuga stated that Tinubu has authorised the urgent relocation of the presidential advisory group on prerogative of mercy’s secretariat from the ministry of special duties to the ministry of justice.
Tinubu also asked Lateef Fagbemi, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, to develop adequate guidelines for the use of presidential clemency.
“This will ensure that only persons who fully meet the stipulated legal and procedural requirements will henceforth benefit from the issuance of instruments of release,” according to the announcement.
Here is the complete list of the amended presidential pardon recipients.
PARDONED
- Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia
- Hussaini Alhaji Umar
- Ayinla Saadu Alanamu
- Hon. Farouk M. Lawan
- Herbert Macaulay
- Mamman Jiya Vatsa
- Ken Saro Wiwa
- Saturday Dobee
- Nordu Eawo
- Daniel Gbooko
- Paul Levera
- Felix Nuale
- Baribor Bera
- Barinem Kiobel
- John Kpuine
PRESIDENTIAL CLEMECY
- Oroka Michael Chibueze
- Adesanya Olufemi Paul
- Daniel Bodunwa
- Hamza Abubakar
- Buhari Sani
- Mohammed Musa
- Muharazu Abubakar
- Ibrahim Yusuf
- Saad Ahmed Madaki
- Michael Bawa
- Richard Ayuba
- Adam Abubakar
- Emmanuel Yusuf
- Chinedu Stanley
- Johnny Ntheru Udor
COMMUTATION OF DEATH SENTENCE TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT
1 Emmanuel Baba
2 Abubakar Usman
3 Khalifa Umar
4 Mohammed Umar
REDUCED TERMS
Tinubu reduced 86 people’s prison sentences, including 40 illegal miners and 17 drug criminals.
The remaining offences included manslaughter, fraud, armed robbery with guns, fraud, and conspiracy to hijack a fishing vessel.
