The Nigerian government has clarified the status of the recently approved Presidential Pardon list, confirming that the beneficiaries have not yet been released because the process is still undergoing final administrative review.
The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi (SAN), revealed the reason for the hold-up, explaining that official paperwork is still being processed.
Fagbemi noted that the government is still reviewing the presidential pardon list to ensure a seamless and legally sound discharge of the 175 individuals granted clemency by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Recall that Tinubu recently exercised his constitutional prerogative of mercy to pardon 175 convicts and ex-convicts, including high-profile figures, individuals convicted of financial crimes, and those who received posthumous pardons, such as the late Major General Mamman Vatsa and Ken Saro-Wiwa.
The decision, which included the commutation of death sentences to life imprisonment for seven inmates, has generated a barrage of diverse views.
While many criticised Tinubu for pardoning some ex-convicts, some commended the president.
However, in a statement on Thursday, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), said the exercise remains at the stage of verifying and reviewing the list of beneficiaries before the issuance of formal instruments of release.
Fagbemi explained that although the Council of State had approved recommendations for clemency, the final stage requires a detailed review to ensure all names comply with 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 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,” the statement read.
He noted that the issuance of the instrument of implementation marks the last phase of the process, after which the Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service will be authorised to act.
According to the AGF, the review phase is part of standard protocol and demonstrates the government’s commitment to transparency, due diligence, and the rule of law.
Fagbemi commended the public for its interest and scrutiny of the exercise, describing such engagement as evidence of Nigerians’ commitment to justice and good governance.
“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 assured that the public would be duly informed once all legal and procedural checks are completed.
“As soon as all legal and procedural checks are concluded, the public will be duly informed. The rule of law does not rush; it ensures fairness,” he added.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass had reported that many Nigerians had raised concerns over the presidential pardon list.
Among the beneficiaries are notable figures such as Ken Saro-Wiwa, the environmental activist, and Major General Mamman Vatsa, who was executed in 1986 for alleged coup plotting.
The pardon list also includes Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for killing her husband, and other inmates whose sentences were commuted or reduced, and ex-convicts deemed eligible by the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy.
