President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday withdrew the pardon granted to Maryam Sanda, who was convicted of the killing of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, in Abuja and that of 174 convicts, including drug traffickers, kidnappers and fraudsters, following public outrage that trailed the initial clemency list released on October 11.
This came as the President ordered a review of the pardon granted at the National Council of State meeting on October 9, 2025.
A statement issued Wednesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said, “Consequently, certain persons convicted of serious crimes such as kidnapping, drug-related offences, human trafficking, fraud, unlawful possession of firearms/arms dealing, etc., were deleted from the list. Others who had been hitherto pardoned in the old list had their sentences commuted.”
According to the Presidency, the decision followed consultations with the Council of State and public feedback, undertaken “in furtherance of the President’s discretionary powers under Section 175(1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).”
About 29.2 per cent of those pardoned had been convicted of drug-related offences, the largest category. Another 24 per cent were sentenced for illegal mining, followed by homicide, corruption, and human trafficking.
The Nigerian Bar Association’s Section on Public Interest and Development Law had urged the President to rescind what it called “a grave error of judgment,” warning that “granting mercy to a convicted murderer sends the wrong signal about accountability and deterrence.”
The Federal Government, through the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), said the earlier is being re-evaluated.
In an official gazette dated October 23, 2025, released by the AGF on Wednesday, the Presidency announced a revised set of instruments reducing the number of beneficiaries from 175 to 120, with several high-profile names, including convicted killer Maryam Sanda, reclassified under reduced terms of imprisonment.
Fagbemi explained that the exercise followed the President’s approval after a due-process review of the initial recommendations presented to him earlier by the Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy.
He said the review became necessary after the President, upon consultations with the Council of State, received concerns about the initial list of beneficiaries and ordered a reassessment to ensure strict adherence to legal and procedural standards.
“During this final review, a few persons earlier recommended were found not to have met the requirements and were accordingly delisted, while in some other cases, sentences were reviewed and reduced to reflect fairness, justice, and the spirit of the exercise,” Fagbemi stated.
The President also directed the relocation of the Secretariat of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy from the Ministry of Special Duties to the Federal Ministry of Justice.
He also instructed the Attorney-General of the Federation to issue new guidelines for exercising the prerogative of mercy, mandating “compulsory consultation with relevant prosecuting agencies” before any list is approved.
“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 Presidency said, adding that the approved list of eligible beneficiaries has been transmitted to the Nigerian Correctional Service for implementation.
Tinubu, who appreciated the constructive feedback and engagement from stakeholders and the general public, reaffirmed his administration’s broader commitment to judicial reforms and improving the administration of justice in Nigeria.
The review, contained in four separate documents, Pardon, Clemency, Reduced Terms of Imprisonment, and Commutation of Death Sentences, delisted individuals convicted of serious crimes such as drug trafficking, kidnapping, human trafficking and armed robbery from the original roll, while retaining only 15 full pardons largely confined to historic or non-violent cases.
Among those removed are Maryam Sanda, previously marked for a full pardon but now listed under a reduced term of 12 years imprisonment, and several drug convicts whose clemency was withdrawn entirely.
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