In a sweeping exercise of the prerogative of mercy, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has granted pardons, commuted sentences, and reduced prison terms for a total of 175 Nigerians, including both living persons and posthumous cases. The decision was endorsed by the National Council of State following the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM).
Here are the names made public so far, categorized by type of pardon / clemency, along with key numbers and criteria:
Posthumous/Deceased Figures Pardoned
Herbert Macaulay, nationalist, co-founder of the NCNC. Convicted in 1913 under colonial rule; died 1946.
Major-General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, military officer and poet, executed in 1986.
The Ogoni Nine (executed under Abacha regime; posthumous pardons)
Ken Saro-Wiwa
Saturday Dobee
Nordu Eawo
Daniel Gbooko
Paul Levera
Felix Nuate
Baribor Bera
Barinem Kiobel
John Kpuine
Living / Ex-Convicts Named
These people were alive at the time of the pardon, or had been convicted and later pardoned:
Farouk Lawan (former House of Representatives member)
Mrs. Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia
Barrister Hussaini Umar
Ayinla Saadu Alanamu
Nweke Francis Chibueze, serving a life sentence for drug-related offences (cocaine)
Dr. Nwogu Peters, who had served 12 of a 17-year sentence for fraud.
Others Honoured (National Honours) / Symbolic Figures
The Ogoni Four — Chief Albert Badey, Chief Edward Kobani, Chief Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage — were awarded posthumous national honours.
Numbers & Breakdown of the Mercy Exercise
Total persons reviewed / interviewed: 175 inmates plus external applications; total 294 cases considered.
Of the 175 inmates:
• 82 inmates recommended for full clemency (full pardon)
• 65 inmates had their sentences reduced
• 7 inmates had death sentences commuted to life imprisonment
• 2 inmates were specifically recommended for pardon among inmates as well.
Ex-convicts recommended for presidential pardon (outside inmates) totalled 15, 11 of whom are deceased (including the Ogoni Nine).
Selection Criteria
According to PACPM’s report, the following were among the criteria used to select beneficiaries:
Old age (60 years or above)
Terminal illness or life-threatening health conditions
Youth (16 years or younger)
Long-term convicts with good conduct, particularly those who have served 10 years or more
Evidence of rehabilitation, e.g., acquisition of vocational skills
Remorse, recommendation from correctional officers for exemplary behaviour
Reactions & Controversies
Some members of the Ogoni community and civil society groups have rejected the use of “pardon” for the Ogoni Nine, arguing that they were wrongly convicted and therefore in need not of pardon but exoneration.
Supporters argue the measure is part of Tinubu’s commitment to justice reforms, healing historical wounds, and reducing prison congestion.
Conclusion & What’s Next
While this is the most extensive list released so far, many names of inmates who received clemency or had sentences reduced have not yet been made public in full. The government may release a complete list later. For now, the names above represent those who are most high-profile or symbolic in this moment of national reckoning.
