. 29.2% Of Those Pardoned Were Convicted For Drug-related Crimes

Emmanuel Imonikhe

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said the recent presidential pardon announced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for individuals convicted of grave crimes such as drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder, and corruption “not only diminishes the sanctity of justice but also sends a dangerous signal to the public and the international community about the values” the incumbent administration upholds.

Particularly worrisome he noted, was the revelation that 29.2% percent of those pardoned were convicted for drug-related crimes at a time when our youth are being destroyed by narcotics, and our nation is still struggling to cleanse its image from the global stain of drug offences.

Atiku’s reaction was contained in a post on his verified X Account (formerly Twitter) on Sunday.

Recall that presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga while unveiling
details of The Presidential Pardon And Clemency for 175 convicts and former convicts
said they comprised illegal miners, white-collar convicts, remorseful drug offenders, foreigners, Major General Mamman Vatsa, Major Akubo, Professor Magaji Garba, capital offenders such as Maryam Sanda, Ken Saro Wiwa, and the other Ogoni Eight among others.

According to a statement,
“President Tinubu granted clemency to most of them based on the reports that the convicts had shown remorse and good conduct. He forgave some due to old age, the acquisition of new vocational skills, or enrolment in the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

“President Tinubu also corrected the historic injustice committed by British colonialists against Sir Herbert Macaulay, one of Nigeria’s foremost nationalists.

“In all, the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General and Justice Minister, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, recommended pardon for two inmates, 15 former convicts, 11 of whom have died. The committee recommended clemency for 82 inmates and commutation of sentences for 65 inmates. Seven inmates on death row also benefited from the Presidential reprieve.

“The committee recommended that the President should commute their death sentences to life imprisonment. Prince Fagbemi presented the committee’s report at the Council of State meeting, chaired by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu”.

However reacting, Atiku also the presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2023 general elections wrote:
“Ordinarily, the power of presidential pardon is a solemn prerogative, a moral and constitutional instrument designed to temper justice with mercy and to underscore the humanity of the state. When properly exercised, it elevates justice and strengthens public faith in governance.

“Regrettably, the latest pardon issued by the Tinubu administration has done the very opposite. The decision to extend clemency to individuals convicted of grave crimes such as drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder, and corruption not only diminishes the sanctity of justice but also sends a dangerous signal to the public and the international community about the values this government upholds.

“At a time when Nigeria continues to reel under the weight of insecurity, moral decay, and a surge in drug-related offences, it is both shocking and indefensible that the presidency would prioritize clemency for those whose actions have directly undermined national stability and social order.

“Particularly worrisome is the revelation that 29.2% percent of those pardoned were convicted for drug-related crimes at a time when our youth are being destroyed by narcotics, and our nation is still struggling to cleanse its image from the global stain of drug offences.

“Even more disturbing is the moral irony that this act of clemency is coming from a President whose own past remains clouded by unresolved and unexplained issues relating to the forfeiture of thousands of dollars to the United States government over drug-related investigations. It is, therefore, no surprise that this administration continues to demonstrate a worrying tolerance for individuals associated with criminal enterprise.

“A presidential pardon is meant to symbolize restitution and moral reform. Instead, what we have witnessed is a mockery of the criminal justice system, an affront to victims, a demoralization of law enforcement, and a grave injury to the conscience of the nation.

“Clemency must never be confused with complicity. When a government begins to absolve offenders of the very crimes it claims to be fighting, it erodes the moral authority of leadership and emboldens lawlessness.

“Nigeria deserves a leadership that upholds justice, not one that trivializes it”. -AA