Tinubu reviews presidential pardon list, trims beneficiaries to 120, commutes Maryam Sanda’s death sentence to 12 years imprisonment

President Bola Tinubu has approved pardons for 120 convicts under the prerogative of mercy, trimming an initial list of 175 beneficiaries to 120, in what the presidency says reflects his commitment to ongoing judicial and correctional reforms.

Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, said in a statement on Wednesday that the move became necessary in view of the seriousness and security implications of some of the earlier forgiven offences and the need to be sensitive to the feelings of the victims of the crimes and society.

Maryam Sanda, the woman who was sentenced to death for killing her husband in 2017, was pardoned in the initial list.

Drug offenders, illegal miners, and white-collar convicts were also on the list before it was reviewed.

The pardon register sparked widespread criticism, with many Nigerians arguing that several of the beneficiaries were undeserving of the clemency.

According to the revised list, the president revoked Sanda’s pardon and commuted her death sentence to a 12-year imprisonment.

Much of the drug offenders, including Nweke Francis Chibueze, 44, who was pardoned while serving a life sentence at Kirikiri for cocaine, were also taken off the mercy list.

Nwogu Peters, 67, who was among those earlier granted pardon while serving a 17-year jail term for fraud, was excluded from the revised beneficiaries.

Onanuga noted that Tinubu has directed the immediate relocation of the secretariat of the presidential advisory committee on prerogative of mercy from the ministry of special duties to the ministry of justice.

Tinubu also directed Lateef Fagbemi, the attorney-general of the federation (AGF) and minister of justice, to issue appropriate guidelines for the exercise of the presidential clemency.

“This will ensure that only persons who fully meet the stipulated legal and procedural requirements will henceforth benefit from the issuance of instruments of release,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, the death sentence of Maryam Sanda, the woman who was convicted for killing her husband in 2017, has been reduced to 12 years’ imprisonment.

Her name appeared in the “reduced terms of imprisonment” and “sentence list” released by Lateef Fagbemi, the attorney-general of the federation (AGF) on Wednesday.

Sanda was among the 175 persons who received a presidential pardon and other forms of clemency from President Bola Tinubu following the approval of the national council of state on October 9

The presidency said Sanda’s family pleaded for her release in the best interest of her two children and that she showed good conduct in prison

In January 2020, Sanda was sentenced to death by hanging by a federal capital territory (FCT) high court for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello. The judgment was later affirmed by the appeal court and supreme court.

Her pardon sparked public outrage as the family of the late husband faulted the president’s decision.

In the gazette list released on Wednesday, Sanda’s death sentence was reduced “based on compassionate grounds, in the best interest of the Children and good conduct, embraced new lifestyle, model prisoner, and remorsefulness”.

According to the gazette list, Sanda has spent 6 years and 8 months in prison.

Here is a full list of the revised beneficiaries of the presidential pardon.

PARDONED

1. Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia

2. Hussaini Alhaji Umar

3. Ayinla Saadu Alanamu

4. Hon. Farouk M. Lawan

5. Herbert Macaulay

6. Mamman Jiya Vatsa

7. Ken Saro Wiwa

8. Saturday Dobee

9. Nordu Eawo

10. Daniel Gbooko

11. Paul Levera

12. Felix Nuale

13. Baribor Bera

14. Barinem Kiobel

15. John Kpuine

PRESIDENTIAL CLEMECY

1. Oroka Michael Chibueze

2. Adesanya Olufemi Paul

3. Daniel Bodunwa

4. Hamza Abubakar

5. Buhari Sani

6. Mohammed Musa

7. Muharazu Abubakar

8. Ibrahim Yusuf

9. Saad Ahmed Madaki

10. Michael Bawa

11. Richard Ayuba

12. Adam Abubakar

13. Emmanuel Yusuf

14. Chinedu Stanley

15. Johnny Ntheru Udor

COMMUTATION OF DEATH SENTENCE TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT

1 Emmanuel Baba

2 Abubakar Usman

3 Khalifa Umar

4 Mohammed Umar

REDUCED TERMS

Tinubu granted reduced terms of imprisonment to 86 persons including some 40 illegal miners and 17 drug offenders.

The rest of the crimes were spread across manslaughter, fraud, armed robbery and possession of firearms, fraud, and conspiracy to hijack fishing vessel.