Outrage, Suspicion Trail Tinubu’s Pardon of 175 Convicts

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent pardon of 175 convicted persons, including drug traffickers, illegal miners, murderers, and coup plotters, has sparked nationwide outrage and criticism, with many describing the move as politically motivated and morally questionable.

The Presidency announced the clemency shortly after the Council of State meeting, explaining that the decision was made under Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers the President to exercise the prerogative of mercy. According to Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga, the beneficiaries include 41 illegal miners, 28 drug traffickers, and 22 convicted murderers. Others granted posthumous or symbolic pardons include the late Major General Mamman Vatsa, Ken Saro-Wiwa, members of the Ogoni Eight, and Herbert Macaulay.

Onanuga said some of the convicts were pardoned on grounds of old age, good behaviour, or rehabilitation through vocational training and education under the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

However, the announcement drew widespread backlash. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar described the gesture as “reckless and conniving,” warning that it undermines Nigeria’s justice system and emboldens criminality.

> “When a government begins to absolve offenders of the very crimes it claims to be fighting, it erodes the moral authority of leadership and trivialises justice,” Atiku said.
He further argued that granting clemency to those convicted of drug trafficking, murder, and corruption “sends a dangerous message” both to Nigerians and the international community.


The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) also condemned the move, calling it a “dangerous contradiction” to the government’s stated war on drug abuse. The group’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said pardoning drug offenders while the NDLEA struggles to combat narcotics “betrays a lacklustre attitude towards national security and morality.”

Legal experts have equally expressed concern over what they describe as the “abuse of constitutional privilege.” Lawyer Joel Ighalo criticised the decision on social media, saying it showed “poor judgment and disregard for the victims of serious crimes.” He warned that some of the released convicts could pose new threats to public safety.

The Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), had earlier proposed excluding corrupt politicians from benefitting from future presidential pardons, stressing that clemency should not be used to reward corruption.

This is not the first time presidential mercy has generated controversy. From Shehu Shagari’s amnesty for Biafran leader Odumegwu Ojukwu in 1982 to Goodluck Jonathan’s pardon of former Bayelsa governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha in 2013, and Muhammadu Buhari’s clemency for ex-governors Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame in 2022, the exercise of pardon in Nigeria has often been viewed as a blend of reconciliation and political indulgence.

Analysts say Tinubu’s latest pardon follows that same pattern, raising questions about the balance between mercy and justice.

Legal practitioner Akeem Aponmade explained that while Section 175 empowers the President to grant clemency, greater transparency is needed.

> “Victims and their families should be consulted before such decisions are made,” he said. “Otherwise, these acts of mercy will continue to appear as political favours rather than instruments of justice.”

Critics maintain that at a time of worsening insecurity and moral decline, freeing individuals convicted of violent and drug-related crimes undermines public confidence in the rule of law.

As debate over the controversial pardons continues, many Nigerians are left questioning whether the exercise of mercy under the Tinubu administration serves the cause of justice or the interests of politics.