Tinubu
President Bola Tinubu has withdrawn the pardon earlier granted to 175 convicts, including drug traffickers, kidnappers and fraudsters, following public outrage that trailed the initial clemency list released on October 11.
This came as the President ordered a review of the pardon granted at the National Council of State meeting on October 9, 2025.
A statement issued Wednesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said, “Consequently, certain persons convicted of serious crimes such as kidnapping, drug-related offences, human trafficking, fraud, unlawful possession of firearms/arms dealing, etc., were deleted from the list. Others who had been hitherto pardoned in the old list had their sentences commuted.”
According to the Presidency, the decision followed consultations with the Council of State and public feedback, undertaken “in furtherance of the President’s discretionary powers under Section 175(1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).”
“This action became necessary in view of the seriousness and security implications of some of the offences, the need to be sensitive to the feelings of the victims of the crimes and society in general, the need to boost the morale of law-enforcement agencies, and adherence to bilateral obligations,” the statement continued.
It further noted that “the concept of justice as a three-way traffic for the Accused, the Victim, and the State/Society also guided the review.”
Tinubu’s reversal comes three weeks after a storm of criticism greeted the inclusion of Maryam Sanda, convicted in 2020 and sentenced to death for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, the son of a former PDP national chairman, on the original pardon list. Punch
