In his bid to bring about true reconciliation, proper integration and in exercise of presidential prerogative, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has granted posthumous pardons to prominent Nigerians.
A report reaching Hanto Daily News named the beneficiaries to include: Nigerian nationalist Herbert Macaulay, Port and military officer Major General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, and the Ogoni Nine, alongside clemency for 82 inmates and sentence reductions for 65 others.
The decision, was one of the outcomes of the National Council of State meeting held this Thursday (9/10/25).
For Herbert Macaulay, a co-founder of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) and a pivotal figure in Nigeria’s independence struggle, who was convicted by British colonial authorities, Major General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, executed in 1986 on treason charges by the Babangida administration,and the Ogoni Nine, the pardon clears the stigma of their ex-convict status.
Recall, the Ogoni Nine—Ken Saro-Wiwa, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine were convicted in a controversial 1995 trial
According to reports, the Ogoni Four including: Chief Albert Badey, Chief Edward Kobani, Chief Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage—were recommended for posthumous national honours in recognition of their contributions.
President Tinubu’s clemency to 82 inmates, included former House of Representatives member Farouk Lawan, Mrs. Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia, Barrister Hussaini Umar, and Ayinla Saadu Alanamu, who demonstrated remorse and readiness to reintegrate into society.
Some others are: Nweke Francis Chibueze, serving a life sentence for cocaine-related charges, and Dr. Nwogu Peters, who served 12 years of a 17-year fraud sentence, were also pardoned.
In the decision, Seven inmates on death row had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment, while 65 others received reduced prison terms.
The pardons and clemency decisions were based on recommendations from the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM), chaired by Attorney General and Justice Minister Prince Lateef Fagbemi.
