Eshiorameh Sebastian in Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has withdrawn presidential pardons for 175 convicts, including the high-profile case of Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death for the murder of her husband.
The decision, announced on Wednesday, followed significant public criticism of the original clemency list released three weeks earlier.
The presidency confirmed the reversal, stating that a review had been undertaken after consultations with the National Council of State and in response to feedback from the Nigerian public.
A statement from the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the action was taken “in furtherance of the President’s discretionary powers under Section 175(1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).”
“Consequently, certain persons convicted of serious crimes such as kidnapping, drug-related offences, human trafficking, fraud, unlawful possession of firearms/arms dealing, etc., were deleted from the list. Others who had been hitherto pardoned in the old list had their sentences commuted,” the statement read.
It further explained the reasoning behind the reversal: “This action 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, the need to boost the morale of law-enforcement agencies, and adherence to bilateral obligations.”
The statement added that “the concept of justice as a three-way traffic for the Accused, the Victim, and the State/Society also guided the review.”
The initial list, made public on 11 October, had sparked a wave of outrage, with particular focus on Maryam Sanda. She was convicted in 2020 of killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, the son of a former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman.
Official documents revealed that nearly a third of those originally pardoned had been convicted for drug-related offences, making it the largest category. Another 24% had been sentenced for illegal mining, followed by convictions for homicide, corruption, and human trafficking.
The Nigerian Bar Association’s Section on Public Interest and Development Law was among the groups that had urged the president to reverse the decision, calling the initial pardon “a grave error of judgment.” The body had warned that “granting mercy to a convicted murderer sends the wrong signal about accountability and deterrence.”
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, provided details of the new directives in an official gazette. He stated that the President had ordered a reassessment to ensure “strict adherence to legal and procedural standards” after concerns were raised about the initial list.
“During this final review, a few persons earlier recommended were found not to have met the requirements and were accordingly delisted, while in some other cases, sentences were reviewed and reduced to reflect fairness, justice, and the spirit of the exercise,” Fagbemi stated.
The total number of beneficiaries granted a full pardon was slashed from 175 to 120. The revised lists, categorised into Pardon, Clemency, Reduced Terms of Imprisonment, and Commutation of Death Sentences, saw individuals convicted of serious crimes like drug trafficking, kidnapping, and armed robbery removed entirely.
Maryam Sanda, who was initially marked for a full pardon, was reclassified. She now appears on the list for a reduced term of 12 years imprisonment.
The final Presidential Pardon list contains only 15 names, a dramatic reduction from the 82 initially proposed. It retains four living individuals convicted of corruption-related offences: Anastasia Nwaobia, Hussaini Umar, Ayinla Alanamu and Farouk Lawan.
The list also includes several posthumous pardons for historical cases, such as the nationalist Herbert Macaulay, Maj.-Gen. Mamman Vatsa, and the Ogoni Nine activists, who were executed in 1995 under the military government of General Sani Abacha.
However, at least 55 recipients from the original list, including individuals like Nweke Chibueze, Dr. Nwogu Peters, and Abiodun Elemero, who had been convicted for offences such as cocaine importation and fraud, no longer appear on any of the four final lists.
The presidency outlined the criteria for those who remained on the revised clemency lists, citing factors such as good conduct, remorse, participation in rehabilitation programmes, educational improvement, and the acquisition of vocational skills during their incarceration. In some cases, old age and ill health were also considered.
The President also initiated structural changes to the pardon process. He directed that the Secretariat of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy be moved from the Ministry of Special Duties to the Federal Ministry of Justice.
Furthermore, the Attorney-General of the Federation was instructed to issue new guidelines that mandate “compulsory consultation with relevant prosecuting agencies” before any future clemency list is approved.
“This will ensure that only persons who fully meet the stipulated legal and procedural requirements will henceforth benefit from the issuance of instruments of release,” the Presidency said.
The approved list of eligible beneficiaries has been transmitted to the Nigerian Correctional Service for implementation.
The decision prompted mixed reactions from political parties and advocacy groups.
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) accused President Tinubu of promoting impunity. The party’s Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, said the confusion over the list exposed the disorganisation within the administration.
“This back and forth over the list of pardoned offenders further amplifies the level of disorganisation within the ranks of the presidential aides and the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in general. These policy somersaults, which have continued to affect and turn the lives of ordinary Nigerians upside down, are also evident in the handling of this particular list,” Osadolor stated.
“It is as though, one moment a decision is made in the morning, another is reversed in the afternoon, and by evening, the same decision is reviewed again. This back and forth is unacceptable. A well-thought-out policy process should not be subjected to such public ridicule and confusion as we are witnessing now.”
He added, “Some of these individuals, rumoured to be his friends or associates from past affiliations, appear to benefit unduly from government decisions. Nigeria is too great a country to be subjected to this kind of endless experimentation with the lives, emotions, and livelihoods of its people.”
Osadolor urged the President to resign, saying, “I would advise the President: it is neither a crime nor a shame to step aside. Even if he completes only one term, he will still be respected globally as a former President of Nigeria.”
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar described the entire episode as “an act of shame.” In a statement signed by his aide, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku accused the administration of lacking foresight.
“Once again, Nigerians have witnessed a government that doesn’t lead — it reacts. President Bola Tinubu has ‘cancelled’ his own pardon for drug traffickers, kidnappers, and other hardened criminals — but only after Nigerians shouted loud enough to wake him from his moral slumber. Let’s be clear: this U-turn is not an act of wisdom, it’s an act of shame,” the statement read.
He questioned the initial process, asking, “Who compiled the list of beneficiaries? What criteria justified freeing kidnappers and drug offenders? Where was the Attorney-General when this absurdity was cooked up? And why does this government only ‘discover its conscience’ after Nigerians express outrage?”
Describing the pardon saga as “a national embarrassment,” he added that the presidency’s frequent reversals showed Nigeria was being “governed without foresight, without empathy, and without shame.”
The New Nigerian Peoples Party also criticised the administration’s handling of the matter. Its spokesperson, Ladipo Johnson, said, “It is disgraceful that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will announce pardons and then the presidency will say they want to vet and go over it again. Given public opinion, it’s not a surprise that they have reversed it, but it just shows that the presidency needs to get its act together.”
President Tinubu, through the presidency’s statement, appreciated the “constructive feedback and engagement from stakeholders and the general public,” and reaffirmed his administration’s “broader commitment to judicial reforms and improving the administration of justice in Nigeria.”
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