By Our Reporters
Yesterday, President Bola Tinubu directed the relocation of the Secretariat of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy to the Federal Ministry of Justice, a decision that raised eyebrows across the and legal and political landscape of the country.
This move came shortly after the President revoked the pardon for Maryam Sanda and 140 others, following public outrage over the initial list of individuals who had been pardoned or granted clemency by his government.
SPEAR NEWS can report that the President’s decision to move the committee constituted a major institutional reform,not a minor paperwork shuffle. The structural change was a direct response to the political firestorm that erupted following a deeply flawed clemency process.
An investigation by this newspaper, drawing on multiple sources has uncovered that the move followed President Tinubu’s disappointment with the committee’s handling of the controversial clemency list that sparked national outrage. The relocation constitutes an institutional remedy for what sources describe as a poorly vetted process that allowed “undeserving names” to secure presidential pardons, ultimately compelling an unprecedented reversal of clemency grants and exposing the administration to accusations of incompetence and insensitivity.
The saga began on October 11, 2025, when President Tinubu, following recommendations from the committee and approval by the National Council of State, granted pardons and clemency to 175 convicts. The list immediately provoked fierce criticism across Nigeria for including individuals convicted of serious crimes such as drug trafficking, kidnapping, and murder.
Among the most controversial beneficiaries was Maryam Sanda, sentenced to death for the 2020 murder of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello. The inclusion of numerous drug offenders, who constituted 29.2% of the original list, also drew sharp rebuke from legal bodies and anti-narcotics campaigners.
The Nigerian Bar Association’s Section on Public Interest and Development Law described the initial pardon as “a grave error of judgment,” warning that “granting mercy to a convicted murderer sends the wrong signal about accountability and deterrence.”
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar captured the national mood, calling the development “an act of shame” and accusing the administration of only discovering its conscience “after Nigerians shouted loud enough to wake him from his moral slumber.”
Facing this mounting pressure, President Tinubu ordered an immediate review of the list. On October 29, the presidency announced a dramatic reversal, deleting 55 individuals entirely from the clemency list and commuting the sentences of others.
The final Presidential Pardon list was slashed from 82 names to just 15. Maryam Sanda, initially marked for a full pardon, was reclassified to a reduced term of 12 years imprisonment. Numerous drug convicts, including Nweke Francis Chibueze, who was serving a life sentence for cocaine offences, were removed entirely.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga stated that the review became necessary “in view of the seriousness and security implications of some of the offences, the need to be sensitive to the feelings of the victims of the crimes and society in general.”
According to multiple sources who spoke to SPEAR NEWS on condition of anonymity, the President was deeply concerned about the damage to his administration’s credibility and the potential undermining of Nigeria’s anti-drug campaigns. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency had been conducting aggressive operations against narcotics, and the presidential pardons for drug offenders threatened to send conflicting signals.
In response to these lapses, President Tinubu took decisive structural action. He directed “the immediate relocation of the Secretariat of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy from the Federal Ministry of Special Duties to the Federal Ministry of Justice.”
Furthermore, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, was instructed to issue new guidelines mandating “compulsory consultation with relevant prosecuting agencies” before any future clemency list receives approval.
A senior presidency official explained to SPEAR NEWS that moving the secretariat under the justice ministry’s oversight would ensure “stricter legal scrutiny and prevent the procedural lapses that allowed questionable names onto the initial list.”
The official added: “The President expects that being under the direct supervision of the Attorney-General will bring the necessary legal rigour to the process. The committee’s work must align with our broader judicial reform agenda, not undermine it.”
The original committee, chaired by the Attorney General, had included representatives from various ministries and security agencies. However, sources revealed that the secretariat’s administrative handling of the process failed to adequately vet many recommendations, perhaps due to pressure from certain individuals or groups with interest, leading to the inclusion of individuals whose pardons contradicted the government’s stated law enforcement priorities.
In his statement, President Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s “broader commitment to judicial reforms and improving the administration of justice in Nigeria,” suggesting that the relocation of the secretariat represents a crucial step in ensuring that future exercises of presidential mercy enhance, rather than diminish, public confidence in Nigeria’s justice system.
The Secretariat of the Prerogative of Mercy Committee functions as the administrative and operational core that facilitates the entire process of considering and granting pardons, clemency, and sentence reductions to convicts. Essentially, if the Committee is the decision making body, the Secretariat is the engine that handles all preparatory and follow-up work. Its responsibilities include receiving and processing all mercy petitions, managing case files by gathering necessary legal documents and prison conduct reports, and conducting preliminary investigations to verify claims such as an inmate’s health status or rehabilitation efforts.
The Secretariat also organises committee meetings, prepares agendas, circulates case files, and maintains all official records and minutes of deliberations.
In the context of the recent presidential directive, relocating this Secretariat from the Ministry of Special Duties to the Federal Ministry of Justice is a strategic move designed to place the clemency process under stricter legal oversight. This ensures the Attorney General’s office can supervise the secretariat’s work more directly, aiming to prevent procedural errors and guarantee that only truly deserving cases are recommended for pardon.
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