Lawrence Olaoye 
…lists beneficiaries
The Presidency has said that President Bola Tinubu granted the prerogative of mercy and clemency to some of the convicts based on the reports that they showed remorse and good conduct.
According to presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga, some of the convicts were pardoned due to old age, acquisition of new vocational skills, or enrolment in the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).
He added that the President also corrected the historic injustice committed by British colonialists against Sir Herbert Macaulay, one of Nigeria’s foremost nationalists.
Recall that the National Security Council, chaired by the President, had on Thursday endorsed the pardon of 175 convicts, both living and dead.
Onanuga said those involved were illegal miners, white-collar convicts, remorseful drug offenders, foreigners, Major General Mamman Vatsa, Major Akubo, Professor Magaji Garba, capital offenders such as Maryam Sanda, Ken Saro Wiwa, and the other Ogoni Eight were among the 175 convicts and former convicts who received President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mercy on Thursday.
In all, the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General and Justice Minister, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, recommended pardon for two inmates, 15 former convicts, 11 of whom have died.
The committee recommended clemency for 82 inmates and commutation of sentences for 65 inmates. Seven inmates on death row also benefited from the Presidential reprieve. The committee recommended that the President should commute their death sentences to life imprisonment.
Those pardoned were: Nweke Francis Chibueze, aged 44, serving a life sentence at Kirikiri for cocaine; Dr Nwogu Peters, aged 67, serving a 17-year jail term for fraud. Sentenced in 2013; Mrs Anastasia Daniel Nwaoba, aged 63. Already served a sentence for fraud; Barr. Hussaini Alhaji Umar, aged 58. Sentenced in 2023 to pay a fine of N150M in the ICPC case, Ayinla Saadu Alanamu, age 63, was sentenced to seven years for bribery in 2019 and has served the sentence and Hon. Farouk M. Lawan, aged 62. Sentenced to five years in 2021 for Corrupt Practices and had served the sentence.
Those granted posthumous pardon were: Sir Herbert Macaulay was banned from public office for misappropriation of funds and sentenced in 1913 by the British colonialists, and Major-General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, age 46, sentenced in 1986 for treason, related to an alleged coup plot; Ken Saro Wiwa. Sentenced for murder; Saturday Dobee. Sentenced for murder; Nordu Eawa.
Sentenced for murder; Daniel Gbooko. Sentenced for murder, Paul Levera. Sentenced for murder: Felix Nuate. Sentenced for murder; Baribor Bera. Sentenced for murder: Barinem Kiobel. Sentenced for murder and John Kpuine. Sentenced for murder.
Others were: Chief Albert Badey, Chief Edward Kobaru, Chief Samuel Orage and Chief Theophilus Orage
Those granted clemency having showed either remorse or Leary vocational skills in jail were: Aluagwu Lawrence, aged 47, sentenced for Indian hemp (selling), 2015, Ben Friday, aged 60, was sentenced to 3 years or N1.3 million fine for marijuana in 2023, Oroke Micheal Chibueze, aged 21, sentenced to 5 years (cannabis sativa) in 2023, Kelvin Christopher Smith, aged 42, was sentenced to 4 years for importing cocaine in 2023, Azubuike Jeremiah Emeka, aged 31, sentenced in 2021 to 5 years or N3 million fine for importing cocaine, Akinrinnade Akinwande Adebiyi, aged 47, sentenced in 2023 to 3 years for dealing in Tramadol, Ahmed Adeyemo, aged 38, sentenced to 15 years for cannabis. Already served nine years, 5 months at Kirikiri, Adeniyi Jimoh, aged 31years, sentenced to 15 years for Drugs in 2015 and served nine years at Kirikiri, Seun Omirinde, aged 39, sentenced to 15 years for Drugs in 2015. Served nine years at Kirikiri, and Adesanya Olufemi Paul, aged 61, was sentenced to 14 years for theft. Had served eight years.
