Tinubu Grants Presidential Pardon to Herbert Macaulay, 175 Nigerians

 

By Oriontimes Newsdesk

Friday, October 10, 2025

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a major exercise of the presidential prerogative of mercy, granting pardons and sentence reductions to 175 Nigerians, including posthumous clemency for nationalist icon Herbert Macaulay and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Major-General Mamman Jiya Vatsa (retd.).

The approval followed a presentation to the Council of State on Thursday by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN). The Council endorsed the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, which reviewed several cases of long-standing convictions and clemency appeals.

Briefing journalists after the meeting held at the State House in Abuja, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State said the decision reflects President Tinubu’s “commitment to justice, fairness, and correctional reform.”

 “This is a step towards national healing, fairness, and the correction of historical injustices,” Governor Sani noted.

While the full list of beneficiaries is yet to be released, media reports confirm that the gesture extends to Herbert Macaulay, widely regarded as the Father of Nigerian Nationalism, who was twice imprisoned by British colonial authorities, first in 1913 over alleged fund misappropriation and later in 1928 on sedition charges linked to the Eleko of Lagos crisis.

Historians have long described Macaulay’s trials as politically motivated attempts to silence anti-colonial voices. His posthumous pardon, therefore, marks a symbolic reconciliation with Nigeria’s early nationalist past.

Also among the beneficiaries is Maj.-Gen. Mamman Vatsa, a poet, writer, and member of the Supreme Military Council, who was executed by firing squad in 1986 following allegations of plotting a coup against the then military ruler, General Ibrahim Babangida. The case remains one of Nigeria’s most controversial executions, with repeated calls for review and posthumous justice.

In addition, members of the Ogoni Nine and Ogoni Four, executed environmental activists from the 1990s, were also reportedly included among those pardoned, signaling a broader move toward historical redress and reconciliation.

According to official figures, 82 inmates received full pardons, 65 had their sentences reduced, while seven death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.

The Council of State meeting, chaired by President Tinubu, also ratified several federal appointments, including Dr. Aminu Yusuf (Niger State) as Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC) and Tonge Bularafa (Yobe State) as Federal Commissioner.

The exercise marks the first major use of the prerogative of mercy under the Tinubu administration and is expected to set a new tone for restorative justice and historical reconciliation in 

Nigeria’s democratic evolution.