President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved clemency for 175 convicts and former prisoners nationwide, including the late Major General Mamman Vatsa, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and Maryam Sanda, in what he described as “an act of national compassion.”
“Leadership demands both justice and empathy. We cannot preach unity without forgiveness,” Tinubu said while receiving the report of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy.
Attorney-General Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), who chaired the committee, explained that the recommendations followed a careful evaluation of deserving cases.
“Many of the beneficiaries have shown genuine remorse, learnt trades, or contributed positively while in custody,” he said.
Posthumous pardons were granted to the Ogoni Nine, including Saro-Wiwa, and to Sir Herbert Macaulay, with the Presidency describing the latter as “a restoration of historical justice.”
Other beneficiaries include Professor Magaji Garba, Major S.A. Akubo, and several minor offenders. Seven convicts on death row will now serve life imprisonment.
Saro- Wiwa, Vatsa, Maryam Sanda, Others on President Tinubu’s Clemency List
