President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has granted posthumous pardons to two historical figures — Dr. Herbert Macaulay, the co-founder of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), and Major General Mamman Vatsa, the former FCT Minister executed in 1986 for treason.
The announcement came after the National Council of State meeting held in Abuja on Thursday, where the President endorsed the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM).
According to presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, Macaulay’s pardon corrects a century-old injustice from 1913 when he was unjustly convicted and banned by British colonial authorities. Vatsa’s clemency, nearly four decades after his death, restores his legacy as a soldier, poet, and statesman.
President Tinubu also extended clemency to several others, including former lawmaker Farouk Lawan and ex-top official Mrs. Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia, citing “remorse and rehabilitation.” Additionally, 82 inmates received full pardons, 65 had their sentences reduced, and seven death-row inmates had their penalties commuted to life imprisonment.
The President also granted posthumous pardons to the Ogoni Nine — including Ken Saro-Wiwa and Barinem Kiobel — while awarding national honours to the “Ogoni Four”: Chief Albert Badey, Chief Edward Kobani, Chief Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage.
The 12-member PACPM, chaired by Attorney General Prince Lateef Fagbemi, reviewed 294 applications before making its recommendations. The exercise aims to promote justice, mercy, and human rights in Nigeria’s correctional system.
ok