President Bola Tinubu has granted a presidential pardon to 175 Nigerians, including nationalist leader Herbert Macaulay and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Maj.-Gen. Mamman Vatsa (retd).

The Council of State approved the exercise of the President’s prerogative of mercy on Thursday following a presentation by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN). The recommendations were based on the report of the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy and were deliberated at the State House, Abuja.

Although the full list is yet to be published, sources confirmed that notable beneficiaries include Macaulay, often regarded as the father of Nigerian nationalism, and Vatsa, executed in 1986 after a controversial coup trial. Members of the Ogoni Nine and Ogoni Four are also on the list.

Macaulay, twice convicted by the colonial government in Lagos, was jailed in 1913 for alleged mismanagement of estate funds and again in 1928 for sedition following the Eleko agitation. Historians have long debated the fairness of both convictions.

Vatsa, a poet, soldier, and member of the Supreme Military Council, was executed by firing squad on March 5, 1986, after being convicted of plotting a coup against then military ruler, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida. His execution remains one of the most controversial in Nigeria’s history, with repeated calls for a posthumous pardon.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani explained that 82 inmates received full pardon, 65 had their sentences reduced, while seven death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.

“The decision underscores the President’s commitment to justice and correctional reform,” he said.

The Council of State meeting, chaired by President Tinubu, also ratified key appointments, including Dr. Aminu Yusuf from Niger State as Chairman of the National Population Commission and Tonge Bularafa as Federal Commissioner representing Yobe State.