The Federal Government has announced plans to grant presidential pardons to convicts serving prison terms across Nigeria’s correctional facilities.
OsunDailyNG learnt that to facilitate this, the government on Wednesday inaugurated the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
The committee comprises representatives from key institutions, including the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Correctional Service, the National Human Rights Commission, and prominent religious bodies such as the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs and the Christian Association of Nigeria.
Other members include legal experts like Justice Augustine Utsaha, Prof. Alkasum Abba, Chief Akinlolu Olujinmi (CON, SAN), and Prof. Nike Ijaiya.
During the inauguration, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, emphasized the constitutional foundation for this initiative.
He cited Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers the President to grant clemency to individuals convicted of offences under federal law.
Akume explained that the committee, with a four-year tenure, is tasked with advising the President on the exercise of this constitutional power, ensuring fairness and justice.
The SGF said, “Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) confers special powers of prerogative of mercy on the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This power enables the resident to grant pardon to any person convicted of an offence created by an Act of the National Assembly.
“In consequence of this Constitutional power, a Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy is to be constituted as an administrative body with the mandate to provide and facilitate a seamless and smooth exercise of the power by the President.
“The Committee has a four-year tenure, and its membership is drawn from relevant line Ministries, Departments and Agencies as well as representatives of religious bodies, and four (4) eminent Nigerians.”
On behalf of the committee, AGF Fagbemi acknowledged the overwhelming number of clemency applications received by his office.
He assured Nigerians that the committee would evaluate these applications objectively in the public interest.
“Already, my Office has been inundated with applications for presidential pardon and clemency. We are to look into these applications and advise on their merits as appropriate. We assure Nigerians that we will carry out our assignment objectively in the public interest and the interest of justice,” Fagbemi noted.
The committee is also expected to visit correctional facilities across the six geopolitical zones to assess cases of eligible convicts and ex-convicts.
He said, “We must also state that our assignment is in no way a review of the decisions of the courts but a discharge of a mandate imposed on Mr. President by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“After our assignment, the Committee would be required to present its Report and actionable recommendations for onward transmission to Mr. President for consideration and further directives.
“The committee might be required to visit Correctional Facilities in various States of the Federation, cutting across the six Geo-political Zones of the country, beginning from where the last exercise ended, to critically appraise and identify potential cases of convicts and ex-convicts towards recommending them for Presidential Pardon or Clemency as appropriate.”
The last presidential pardon occurred under former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022, where 159 individuals were granted clemency, including controversial figures such as former governors Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame, who had been convicted of misappropriating public funds.
