President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the grant of presidential pardon to 175 individuals, including Nigeria’s foremost nationalist, Herbert Macaulay, and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Major-General Mamman Vatsa (retd).
The decision followed the presentation of recommendations by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), during the National Council of State meeting held on Thursday at the State House, Abuja. The recommendations were based on the report of the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy.
Sources at the meeting disclosed that, in addition to Macaulay and Vatsa, members of the “Ogoni Nine” and “Ogoni Four” were also among those granted clemency. “Herbert Macaulay and Vatsa are two of the most prominent names on the list,” one of the attendees confirmed.
Herbert Macaulay, often referred to as the “Father of Nigerian Nationalism,” was twice imprisoned by the British colonial government in Lagos — first in 1913 for alleged misappropriation of trust funds and again in 1928 for sedition after publishing an article in the Lagos Daily News during the Eleko of Lagos crisis. Historians have long debated the fairness of his convictions.
Major-General Mamman Vatsa, a poet and member of the Supreme Military Council under General Ibrahim Babangida, served as Minister of the FCT before he was executed on March 5, 1986, for allegedly plotting a coup. His secret trial and execution have remained subjects of controversy, with repeated calls over the years for a posthumous pardon.
According to details released after the Council meeting, 82 inmates received full presidential pardons, 65 had their sentences reduced, while seven death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.
Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, who briefed journalists after the meeting, said the move reflected President Tinubu’s commitment to justice reform and prison decongestion.
“The President approved full pardon for 82 inmates, reduced the sentences of 65 others, and commuted seven death sentences to life imprisonment. This action underscores his administration’s dedication to fairness, rehabilitation, and correctional reform,” the governor stated.
The Council of State meeting, chaired by President Tinubu, also ratified several key federal appointments, including the confirmation of Dr. Aminu Yusuf from Niger State as Chairman of the National Population Commission and Tonge Bularafa as Federal Commissioner representing Yobe State. Both appointments received unanimous approval from the Council.
