President Bola Tinubu has granted posthumous pardons to notable figures, including late Major General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, who was executed in 1986 for treason. This decision follows the endorsement by the National Council of State, which met in Abuja.
Among those pardoned is Herbert Macaulay, a key nationalist and co-founder of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC). Macaulay, who was unjustly convicted by British colonialists in 1913, has had his record cleared posthumously.
Additionally, four former convicts, including ex-House of Representatives member Farouk Lawan and others, received pardons to assist their reintegration into society after showing remorse.
The Ogoni Nine, including Ken Saro-Wiwa, also received formal pardons. President Tinubu exercised his constitutional power of mercy, resulting in clemency for 82 inmates and reductions in sentences for 65 others, including seven on death row whose sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.
This initiative was guided by the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM), which recommended these actions based on various criteria, including age, health, and behavior during incarceration.
