President Bola Tinubu on Thursday granted a posthumous pardon to Nigerian nationalist Herbert Macaulay and Major General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, sentenced to death for treason in 1986.
Apart from the posthumous pardon, the President also pardoned four ex-convicts, including former member of the House of Representatives, Farouk Lawan, Mrs Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia, lawyer Hussaini Umar and Ayinla Saadu Alanamu.
A statement by the Special Adviser to the President (Information and Strategy), Bayo Onanuga, said the people were among the 175 who received clemency from the president following approval by the Council of State.
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He explained that Macaulay, co-founder of the National Council of Nigeria and Cameroon (NCNC), and others were pardoned in exercise of the powers vested in the president.
The statement read: “President Tinubu also granted a posthumous pardon to Herbert Macaulay, a Nigerian nationalist and co-founder, along with Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, of the National Council of Nigeria and Cameroon (NCNC). Macaulay was the first president of the party, who played a pivotal role in Nigeria’s struggle for independence.
“However, in 1913, Macaulay was believed to have been wrongfully convicted by British colonialists and banned from holding public office. Macaulay died in 1946, but the stigma of being an ex-convict was not exorcised from his records until now.
The president’s spokesman added that Lawan and others were pardoned to allow them to integrate into society, after having shown sufficient remorse.
“Nweke Francis Chibueze, who was serving a life sentence for cocaine, was pardoned, along with Dr Nwogu Peters, who had served 12 of his 17-year sentence for fraud.
“The Ogoni Nine: Ken Saro Wiwa, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel and John Kpuine were formally pardoned. At the same time, the President accorded national honors to the Ogoni Four: Chief Albert Badey, Chief Edward Kobani, Chief Samuel Orage and Theophilus Orage,” Onanuga stated.
He added that in exercise of his constitutional power of clemency, President Tinubu granted clemency to 82 inmates and reduced the prison sentences of 65 others. He granted a pardon to seven inmates sentenced to death by commuting their sentences to life imprisonment.
Tinubu was said to have acted on the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM).
The committee has 12 members, and the chairman is the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi. The other members are Chief Akinlolu Olujinmi, NOC; Prof. Alkasum Abba; Prof. (Mrs.) Nike Y. Sidikat Ijaiya; Judge Agustín B. Utsaha; and the Secretary, Dr. Onwusoro Maduka, former Permanent Secretary.
The institutional representatives on the Committee are: the Permanent Secretary for Special Functions and Intergovernmental Affairs; representatives of the Nigerian Police, Nigerian Correctional Service, National Human Rights Commission, Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
The final report of the committee was presented to the Council of State on Thursday in Abuja, as required by the constitution.
The report states: “A total of 175 inmates were interviewed and 62 applications were received on behalf of 119 inmates considered by the committee, making a total of 294.
“One hundred and sixty of the inmates interviewed were men, while 15 were women. Eighty-two inmates were recommended for pardon; two (2) for pardon; sixty-five (65) inmates for reduction of their prison sentences, and seven (7) death row inmates for commutation to life imprisonment.
“In addition, fifteen (15) ex-convicts were recommended for Presidential Pardon, eleven (11) of them are deceased (including 9 Ogoni). The four (4) Ogoni were also recommended for the Posthumous National Honors Award.
“In total, a total of one hundred and seventy-five (175) beneficiaries are recommended.”
The committee acted based on the following criteria: old age (60 years and older); poor health likely to end in death; youth (16 years and under); long-term convicts who have served prison sentences of 10 years or more with good records; and those convicted who serve three years or more.
“Those who have been in custody centres, learned sustainable vocational skills capable of keeping them away from crime; those who are considered repentant; those who were recommended by prison officials for their exemplary behavior and Nigerian prisoners deported from other countries,” the statement said..
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