FG Clarifies Tinubu’s Pardon List, Says No Inmate Released As Review Continues
The Federal Government has clarified that no inmate has been released yet under the recent Presidential Prerogative of Mercy granted by President Bola Tinubu, explaining that the process is still undergoing its final administrative review.
The clarification follows reports that President Tinubu approved pardons for Sir Herbert Macaulay and 174 others, including late environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and Major General Mamman Vatsa, who was executed in 1986 over an alleged coup plot. Also listed were Maryam Sanda, sentenced to death in 2020 for killing her husband, and several inmates whose sentences were either commuted or reduced.
In a statement on Thursday, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), said that although the Council of State had approved the clemency recommendations, no release has been carried out. He noted that the verification and review process is still ongoing to ensure compliance with all legal and procedural standards.
“The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice wishes to clarify that no inmate approved for clemency under the recent exercise of the President’s power of prerogative of mercy has been released from custody,” the statement read. “The process remains at the final administrative stage, which includes a standard review to ensure that all names and recommendations fully comply with established legal and procedural requirements before any instrument of release is issued.”
Fagbemi explained that the issuance of release instruments will mark the last step, after which the Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service will be authorized to act.
He stressed that the government is committed to transparency, due diligence, and the rule of law. “There is no delay in the process; it is simply following the law to the letter to ensure that only those duly qualified benefit from the President’s mercy,” he said.
The minister added that the public will be informed once all necessary legal checks are concluded, noting, “The rule of law does not rush; it ensures fairness.”
