Tinubu Grants Pardon to Herbert Macaulay and 174 Others

On Thursday, the Nigerian Council of State approved the use of the presidential prerogative of mercy in favour of 175 individuals.

The exercise was presented by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), who conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s recommendations, drawn from the report of the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, during the meeting at the State House, Abuja.

Among the figures to receive clemency is Herbert Macaulay—widely regarded as a foundational figure in Nigeria’s nationalist movement—and former Federal Capital Territory minister under General Babangida, Major-General Mamman Vatsa (retd). The full list of beneficiaries has not yet been made public.

Of the 175 beneficiaries, 82 inmates were granted full pardon, 65 had their sentences reduced, and seven death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment. Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, speaking to State House correspondents after the session, confirmed the breakdown and described the move as part of the administration’s focus on justice and correctional reform.