Tinubu clemency list: President approves new pardons, commutes sentences in major shake-up

By: Abudu Olalekan

President Bola Tinubu just dropped a bombshell. Late Wednesday, his office announced he’s greenlit a whole new list of folks getting clemency or pardons. Big deal, right? Because mercy from the big guy at Aso Rock? That doesn’t happen every day. And this time, it’s a total overhaul. Like, scrapping the old list, starting fresh.

So why now? Well, according to Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s info guru, the Prez did his homework. He chatted with the Council of State, dug into the Constitution (yep, Section 175, for the detail nerds), and decided the first list needed a redo. Here’s the kicker: he yanked all the names convicted of heavy-duty crimes. Think kidnapping. Drug stuff. Human trafficking. Gun running. Fraud. Basically, if you hurt people or played with weapons? You’re off the list. Poof. Gone.

But wait—what about folks already on the old list? Some had their sentences tweaked. Commuted, they call it. Like, if you were staring down a death sentence? Now you’re looking at life behind bars. Still not great, but… better? Maybe?

Now, the numbers. Get this: 86 people made the cut. Eighty-six. That’s a lot of second chances. The names? Oh, they dropped a few. Mrs. Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia. Barrister Hussaini Alhaji Umar. Ayinla Saadu Alanamu. Hon. Farouk M. Lawan—wait, that name ring a bell? Yeah, the ex-lawmaker. Then there’s Herbert Macaulay (history buffs, you know him), Major General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, and Ken Saro Wiwa… oh, and the Ogoni Nine guys too. Dobee, Eawo, Gbooko, Levera, Nuale, Bera, Kiobel, Kpuine. All pardoned.

And the ones who dodged death row? Emmanuel Baba, Abubakar Usman, Khalifa Umar, Mohammed Umar. Their sentences? Commuted to life. Heavy stuff.

The statement from the State House? It was all about “justice” and “national security.” And, y’know, “respect for victims.” Which makes sense. You can’t just let bad actors walk free. But they also thanked everyone who piped up about the first list. “Constructive feedback,” they called it. Nice.

Oh, and Tinubu doubled down on fixing Nigeria’s justice system. “Judicial reforms,” he promised. “Improving how justice works.” Cool. We’ll believe it when we see it, though.

But here’s the real tea. This isn’t just paperwork. It’s politics. Power. Mercy as a tool. Who gets a fresh start? Who stays locked up? And why now? The timing feels… intentional. Maybe it’s a signal. To who? To the folks screaming for amnesty? To the ones who think the system’s broken? Or maybe it’s just Tinubu flexing his constitutional muscle. Either way, it’s a reminder: the rules can change. Overnight.

So what’s next? Who knows. But one thing’s for sure—86 lives just got a plot twist. And the rest of us? We’re left wondering who’s next.