Under pressure: Tinubu may drop controversial names from pardon list
There were indications on Thursday that some names on the presidential pardon list approved by the Council of State, as presented by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), may be dropped.

The development comes amid growing public outcry over the inclusion of certain high-profile and violent offenders among those pardoned by President Bola Tinubu.
The presidential pardon, usually granted to mark national occasions, was also meant to decongest prisons and promote reconciliation.
The presidential statement noted that the decision followed recommendations by the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General.
It added that the list of beneficiaries was divided into six categories: Those granted pardon, posthumous pardon (including the Ogoni Nine), victims of the Ogoni Nine honoured, presidential clemency (clemency beneficiaries), inmates recommended for reduced terms of imprisonment, and inmates on death row whose sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.
However, the latest episode has reignited debate over the transparency and integrity of Nigeria’s pardon process.
On Thursday, Fagbemi (SAN), however, clarified that the Presidential Prerogative of Mercy recently announced by the President was still under review and had not been finalised.
Controversy has continued to trail the inclusion of some names, with anti-graft and security agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, reportedly moving to halt the release of some individuals on the list.
Fagbemi, at the Council of State meeting convened on October 9, 2025, had listed illegal miners, white-collar convicts, drug offenders, foreigners, Maj Gen Mamman Vatsa, Prof Magaji Garba, Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Eight, as well as capital offenders such as Maryam Sanda, among the 175 convicts and former convicts who received presidential pardon.
The full list was released in a statement from the Presidency on Saturday, October 11, 2025.
While some names of Politically-Exposed Persons on the list, like Herbert Macaulay, Farouk Lawan, among others, did not raise dust, the inclusion of certain individuals linked to violent crimes and security breaches sparked outrage.
One of the names was Maryam Sanda, who was convicted in 2017 for stabbing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, to death.
While some members of Bello’s family rejected the pardon for Maryam, the father, Alhaji Bello Isa, alongside Maryam’s father, Alhaji Garba Sanda, addressed a press conference to accept the presidential pardon.
The President also pardoned Major S. Alabi Akubo, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for illegal possession of prohibited firearms, among others and one Kelvin Prosper Oniarah, whose kidnapping terror spanned Delta, Edo, Rivers, Abia, Benue, and Oyo states, with detention camps in Warri and Kokori (Delta), Ugbokolo (Benue), Benin City (Edo), and Aba (Abia).
The names of those convicted for killing security agents, illicit drug couriers, and others tried for money laundering, among other offences, were queried on the list.
The uproar has reportedly prompted a review of the clemency process, with the Presidency considering dropping controversial names that generated public criticisms.
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