Tinubu Grants Pardons to Farouk Lawan, Ogoni Nine, and Others
President Bola Tinubu has approved a sweeping round of presidential pardons that include former lawmaker Farouk Lawan, who was convicted for a fuel subsidy scam, and Nweke Francis Chibueze, serving a life sentence for cocaine trafficking, PulseNets learnt.
In an act symbolizing national reconciliation, PulseNets obtained confirmation that President Tinubu also granted posthumous pardons to Nigerian nationalist Herbert Macaulay and Major General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, the former military general executed for treason in 1986, alongside several other deceased Nigerians and convicts.
The announcement followed recommendations approved by the National Council of State, which convened at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday. The details were contained in a statement obtained by PulseNets from presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga.
“President Tinubu has pardoned four former convicts—Farouk Lawan, Mrs. Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia, Barr. Hussaini Umar, and Ayinla Saadu Alanamu,”
the statement revealed.
It further noted that the beneficiaries were considered worthy of clemency after demonstrating what officials described as “sufficient remorse and commitment to rehabilitation.”
“Nweke Francis Chibueze, sentenced to life imprisonment for drug trafficking, was among those granted pardon, as well as Dr. Nwogu Peters, who had served 12 out of a 17-year sentence for fraud,”
the statement added.
According to documents seen by PulseNets, the president also extended clemency to 82 inmates, reduced sentences for 65 others, and commuted seven death sentences to life imprisonment—all under his constitutional prerogative of mercy. These decisions were based on the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM).
In what observers have described as a historic reconciliation gesture, the president posthumously pardoned the Ogoni Nine—including Ken Saro-Wiwa, Baribor Bera, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine—nearly 30 years after their controversial execution by the military regime of General Sani Abacha in 1995.
In a complementary move, the administration also honoured the Ogoni Four—Albert Badey, Edward Kobani, Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage—with national awards, acknowledging their enduring legacy in the Niger Delta struggle.
PulseNets learnt that the 12-member PACPM is chaired by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), and includes academics, legal experts, and representatives of key national institutions such as the Nigerian Correctional Service, National Human Rights Commission, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), and the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA).
The committee, inaugurated in January 2025 by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, reportedly reviewed 294 applications and conducted 175 inmate interviews across correctional facilities nationwide.
Criteria for clemency, according to documents obtained by PulseNets, included old age (60 years and above), life-threatening illnesses, youthful offenders aged 16 and below, and long-term convicts with good prison records. Others considered were inmates who had learnt vocational trades, demonstrated remorse, or received commendations for exemplary conduct from correctional officers.
Mr. Onanuga told PulseNets that the move aligns with President Tinubu’s broader justice and human rights reform agenda, which prioritizes rehabilitation, reintegration, and national healing.
“In total, 175 beneficiaries were approved under the 2025 Presidential Clemency Exercise,”
Onanuga confirmed.
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The announcement has been widely interpreted as part of President Tinubu’s ongoing efforts to rebuild public trust in the justice system and strengthen national unity through symbolic gestures of forgiveness and reform.
