- Historic decision includes key figures convicted under colonial rule and military regimes.
President Bola Tinubu has approved the exercise of the presidential prerogative of mercy for 175 persons, a landmark decision that includes a posthumous pardon for one of Nigeria’s founding fathers, Herbert Macaulay, and former FCT Minister, Major-General Mamman Vatsa (retd.).
The decision was ratified by the Council of State during a meeting held at the State House on Thursday, October 9, 2025, following a presentation by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN). The presentation conveyed the President’s recommendations based on the report of the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy.
Historic and Controversial Pardons
A key source who attended the meeting confirmed that “Herbert Macaulay and Vatsa are among the two major ones on that list,” which also includes members of the notorious Ogoni Nine and Ogoni Four groups.
Herbert Macaulay: Often regarded as the “father of Nigerian nationalism,” Macaulay was twice convicted by colonial authorities. His 1913 conviction involved the alleged misappropriation of funds, while a 1928 conviction for sedition followed the publication of incendiary claims in his newspaper, the Lagos Daily News. Historians have long questioned the fairness of these colonial-era prosecutions.
Maj-Gen. Mamman Vatsa: Vatsa, a former FCT Minister and poet, was executed by firing squad in 1986 after a secret military tribunal found him guilty of treason over an alleged coup plot against the then military ruler, General Ibrahim Babangida. His case has remained highly controversial, with decades of calls for a posthumous exoneration.
Categories of Mercy
Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, while briefing State House correspondents after the meeting, provided a breakdown of the 175 beneficiaries:
• 82 inmates were granted a full presidential pardon.
• 65 inmates had their sentences reduced.
• Seven death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.
Governor Sani stated that the decision “underscores the President’s commitment to justice and correctional reform.”
The Council of State meeting also approved the appointments of Dr. Aminu Yusuf as the Chairman of the National Population Commission and Tonge Bularafa as the Federal Commissioner representing Yobe State in the Commission.
