Koko Maxwella 
President, Bola Tinubu
ABUJA, Nigeria – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has granted clemency to 175 convicts and former convicts, including Maryam Sanda, Professor Magaji Garba, Major S.A. Akubo, and the late Ken Saro-Wiwa with members of the Ogoni Eight, in what the Presidency calls a landmark exercise of mercy and justice reform.
In a statement on Saturday, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, said the move followed the recommendation of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by Attorney-General Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi (SAN).
“The President’s decision reflects his belief that justice must be balanced with compassion,” Fagbemi said while presenting the committee’s report at the National Council of State meeting in Abuja.
Among those benefiting is Major Akubo (62), jailed for life in 2009 for unlawfully removing 7,000 assorted weapons. His sentence was cut to 20 years for good conduct and remorse.
Also freed is Professor Magaji Garba (67), convicted in 2021 for fraud; his seven-year term was reduced to four years due to reform and old age.
Maryam Sanda (37), sentenced to death in 2020 for culpable homicide, was granted clemency after six years in custody, following family pleas citing her remorse and motherhood.
Tinubu also approved a posthumous pardon for Sir Herbert Macaulay, describing it as redress for “a historic injustice by colonial authorities.”
Of the 175 beneficiaries, 17 received full pardons, 82 gained clemencies, 65 had sentences commuted, and seven on death row saw their penalties reduced to life.
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