The Federal Government has clarified that no inmate has been released under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recently announced Presidential Prerogative of Mercy, saying the exercise is still undergoing final administrative review.
This clarification comes amid widespread speculation following reports that the President had granted clemency to 175 individuals, including historic and high-profile figures such as nationalist Sir Herbert Macaulay, environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, and former military officer Major General Mamman Vatsa, who was executed in 1986 over an alleged coup plot.
The pardon list also reportedly includes Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for killing her husband, alongside several inmates whose sentences were either commuted or reduced, and ex-convicts recommended by the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy.
However, in a statement issued Thursday in Abuja, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), said that no inmate has yet been freed, as the process remains in the stage of verification and review of the approved names before formal instruments of release are issued.
> “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,” Fagbemi stated.
He explained that although the Council of State has approved the recommendations for clemency, the final administrative phase involves ensuring that all names meet the legal and procedural standards required by law.
> “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 minister added.
Fagbemi further noted that the issuance of the formal instrument of implementation marks the final phase of the exercise, after which the Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service will be authorised to act.
He described the ongoing review as part of the government’s commitment to transparency, due process, and the rule of law.
“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,” Fagbemi said.
The minister commended Nigerians for their keen interest in the clemency exercise, describing public scrutiny as a sign of civic responsibility and trust in the justice system.
He assured that the government would officially announce the names of beneficiaries once all necessary checks have been concluded.
“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 said.
