PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has granted presidential pardon and clemency to 175 persons, including former lawmaker Farouk Lawan, late environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, nationalist Herbert Macaulay, Mamman Vatsa, and Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death for killing her husband.

According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Saturday, the decision followed recommendations by the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).

The list, released on Saturday, is divided into six parts: pardoned, posthumous pardon (including the Ogoni Nine), victims of the Ogoni Nine honoured, presidential clemency (clemency beneficiaries), list of inmates recommended for reduced term of imprisonment, and list of inmates on death row reduced to life imprisonment.

List of beneficiaries of presidetial pardon 

1. Nweke Francis Chibueze, aged 44, serving a life sentence at Kirikiri for cocaine.
2. Nwogu Peters, aged 67; Serving a 17-year jail term for fraud. Sentenced in 2013.
3. Anastasia Daniel Nwaoba, aged 63. Already served a sentence for fraud.
4. Hussaini Alhaji Umar, aged 58. Sentenced in 2023 to pay a fine of N150M in the ICPC case.
5. Ayinla Saadu Alanamu, age 63, was sentenced to seven years for bribery in 2019 and has served the sentence.

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6. Farouk M. Lawan, aged 62. Sentenced to five years in 2021 for Corrupt Practices and had served the sentence.

Posthuous paron 
7. Herbert Macaulay was banned from public office for misappropriation of funds and sentenced in 1913 by the British colonialists.
8. Mamman Jiya Vatsa, age 46, sentenced in 1986 for treason related to an alleged coup plot.

The Ogoni nine 
9. Ken Saro Wiwa. Sentenced for murder.
10. Saturday Dobee. Sentenced for murder.
11. Nordu Eawa. Sentenced for murder.
12. Daniel Gbooko. Sentenced for murder.
13. Paul Levera. Sentenced for murder.
14. Felix Nuate. Sentenced for murder.
15. Baribor Bera. Sentenced for murder.
16. Barinem Kiobel. Sentenced for murder.
17. John Kpuine. Sentenced for murder.

Victims of Ogoni nine honoured

Albert Badey
Edward Kobaru
Samuel Orage
Theophilus Orage

Presidential cleency Most of the beneficiaries showed either remorse or learned vocational skills in jail.

1. Aluagwu Lawrence, aged 47, sentenced for Indian hemp (selling), 2015.
2. Ben Friday, aged 60, sentenced to 3 years or N1.3 million fine for marijuana in 2023.
3. Oroke Micheal Chibueze, aged 21, sentenced to 5 years (cannabis sativa) in 2023.
4. Kelvin Christopher Smith, aged 42, sentenced to 4 years for importing cocaine in 2023.
5. Azubuike Jeremiah Emeka, aged 31, sentenced in 2021 to 5 years or N3 million fine for importing cocaine.
6. Akinrinnade Akinwande Adebiyi, aged 47, sentenced in 2023 to 3 years for dealing in Tramadol.
7. Ahmed Adeyemo, aged 38, sentenced to 15 years for cannabis. Already served nine years, 5 months at Kirikiri.
8. Adeniyi Jimoh, aged 31, sentenced to 15 years for Drugs in 2015 and served nine years at Kirikiri.
9. Seun Omirinde, aged 39, sentenced to 15 years for Drugs in 2015. Served nine years at Kirikiri.
10. Adesanya Olufemi Paul, aged 61, sentenced to 14 years for theft. Had served eight years.
11. Ife Yusuf, aged 37, sentenced for human trafficking in 2019. Had served six years at Kirikiri.
12. Daniel Bodunwa, aged 43, sentenced in 2018 to 10 years for fraudulent intent to forge a land receipt. Had served six years in jail.
13. Fidelis Michael, aged 40, sentenced to 5 years for cannabis sativa.
14. Suru Akande, aged 52, sentenced to 5 years for cannabis sativa.
15. Safiyanu Umar, aged 56, sentenced to 5 years without the option of a fine for possessing 5kg of Cannabis sativa, 2023.
16. Dahiru Abdullahi, aged 46, sentenced in 2016 to 21 years for possession of 3 pistols and had spent 10 years in jail.
17. Hamza Abubakar, aged 37, sentenced to 5 years for Indian hemp (selling), 2022.
18. Rabiu Alhassan Dawaki, aged 52, sentenced in 2020 to 7 years for criminal breach of trust.
19. Mujibu Muhammad, aged 30, sentenced in 2022 to 5 years, no option for a fine for cannabis.
20. Emmanuel Eze, aged 49, sentenced in 2022 to 5 years for Heroin.
21. Bala Azika Yahaya, aged 70, sentenced in 2017 to 15 years for cannabis.
22. Lina Kusum Wilson, aged 34, sentenced to death in 2017 for culpable homicide, had spent eight years in jail.
23. Buhari Sani, aged 33, sentenced in 2022 to 5 years for possession of 558 grams of cannabis.
24. Mohammed Musa, aged 27, sentenced in 2022 to 5 years for possession of 16 grams of cannabis.
25. Muharazu Abubakar, aged 37, sentenced in 2022 to 5 years for selling Indian hemp. Already spent 3 years in Katsina Prison.
26. Ibrahim Yusuf, aged 34; jailed 5 years in 2022 for possession of 5.7 grams of Indian hemp.
27. Saad Ahmed Madaki, aged 72; sentenced in 2020 for a 419 offence. Had served 4 years in Kaduna prison.
28. Michael Bawa, aged 72: sentenced to life imprisonment for murder in 2005. Had spent 20 years in Kaduna prison.
29. Richard Ayuba, aged 38, sentenced to 5 years in 2022 for Indian hemp.
30. Adam Abubakar, aged 30, sentenced in 2022 to five years for possession of 2kg of tramadol.

Nurudeen AKEWUSHOLA

Author Page

Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.