Tinubu Approves Presidential Pardon for Herbert Macaulay, Vatsa, 173 Others
President Bola Tinubu has granted a presidential pardon to 175 individuals across various categories, following the approval of the Council of State at its meeting held Thursday at the State House, Abuja.
The decision came after a presentation by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), who relayed the President’s recommendations based on the report of the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy.
Although the full list of beneficiaries has yet to be made public, reliable sources confirmed that the late nationalist Herbert Macaulay and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Maj.-Gen. Mamman Vatsa (retd.), were among those pardoned. Members of the Ogoni Nine and Ogoni Four are also said to have benefited from the exercise.
A source at the meeting described Macaulay and Vatsa as “the two most prominent figures on the list.”
Known as the “father of Nigerian nationalism,” Herbert Macaulay was twice jailed by the colonial authorities in Lagos — first in 1913 for alleged misappropriation of funds while managing an estate, and again in 1928 after being convicted of sedition over a publication in the Lagos Daily News during the Eleko of Lagos agitation. Historians have long debated the fairness of both convictions.
Maj.-Gen. Mamman Vatsa, a poet and former member of the Supreme Military Council, was executed by firing squad on March 5, 1986, after being convicted of treason in a secret trial linked to an alleged coup against then military ruler, Ibrahim Babangida — his close friend. His execution has remained one of the most controversial in Nigeria’s history, sparking repeated calls for a posthumous pardon.
According to Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, who briefed journalists after the Council meeting, 82 inmates received full pardon, 65 had their sentences reduced, while seven death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.
He said the exercise reflects President Tinubu’s commitment to justice, compassion, and reform within the nation’s correctional system.
The meeting, presided over by President Tinubu, also ratified several key appointments, including Dr. Aminu Yusuf of Niger State as Chairman of the National Population Commission and Tonge Bularafa as Federal Commissioner representing Yobe State. Both appointments were unanimously approved by the Council.
