Global human rights organisation, Amnesty International, has sharply criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for granting clemency and pardons to individuals convicted of crimes including human rights violations, drug trafficking, and illegal mining.
In a statement on Monday, Amnesty International warned that the move “risks entrenching impunity and denying justice to victims,” stressing that it could weaken accountability and undermine the rule of law in Nigeria.
The Tinubu-led government had on Saturday announced sweeping clemency and posthumous pardons for 147 convicts and deceased persons, including Maryam Sanda, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Sir Herbert Macaulay, Major General Mamman Vatsa, and Professor Magaji Garba. The exercise, according to the Presidency, was part of efforts toward “compassion, justice, and national healing.”
The Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), recommended the beneficiaries after a review of 175 cases.
However, Amnesty International expressed deep concern over what it described as a government preference for perpetrators over victims.
“The way and manner Nigerian authorities carried out the exercise seemed to prioritise the perpetrators instead of ensuring access to justice and effective remedies for the victims and their families,” the group said.
The organisation added that such decisions “undermine the rule of law, prevent truth and reparations, and entrench impunity for human rights crimes.”
Amnesty International urged President Tinubu to reconsider and reverse the pardons, insisting that justice and accountability must remain central to Nigeria’s reconciliation efforts.
“President Bola Tinubu should uphold and ensure the rights of victims and their families, rather than rewarding those convicted of grave crimes,” the statement added.
Among those pardoned or granted reduced sentences were notable figures such as former lawmaker Farouk Lawan, ex-UNIMAID Vice Chancellor Professor Magaji Garba, former ICPC convict Barr. Hussaini Alhaji Umar, and former SUBEB boss Ayinla Saadu Alanamu.
The list also included former drug offenders and over 60 illegal miners, many of them young men in their 20s and 30s, who were convicted in 2024. Senator Ikra Aliyu Bilbis reportedly pledged to oversee their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
The presidency’s statement further confirmed posthumous pardons for national figures such as Sir Herbert Macaulay, Major General Mamman Vatsa, and Ken Saro-Wiwa alongside other members of the Ogoni Nine, executed in 1995 under General Sani Abacha’s regime.
