President Bola Tinubu has bowed to pressure and removed persons convicted of crime related offences from the list of persons granted presidential pardon.
Tinubu had come under attack for granting pardon to people convicted of drug offence, kidnapping and others convicted of murder.
The president who signed the relevant instruments of pardon on Wednesday, in exercise of his constitutional power of prerogative of mercy, ordered that criminal convicts should be removed from the list.
Tinubu in a statement by his spokesman Bayo Onanuga, directed a further review of the initially approved list for consideration in furtherance of his discretionary powers under Section 175(1)(&(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“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,” the statement added.
It explained that the action became necessary in view of the seriousness and security implications of some of the offences, as well as the need to be sensitive to the feelings of the victims of the crimes and society in general.
The statement added that the action was to boost the morale of law enforcement agencies and adherence to bilateral obligations.
“The concept of justice as a three-way traffic for the accused, the victim, and the state/society also guided the review.
“The approved list of eligible beneficiaries has been transmitted to the Nigerian Correctional Service for implementation in line with the duly signed instruments of release,” the president said in the statement.
He further directed the immediate relocation of the secretariat of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy from the Federal Ministry of Special Duties to the Federal Ministry of Justice, to ensure that future exercises meet public expectations and best practices.
Tinubu also directed the Attorney-General of the Federation to issue appropriate guidelines for the exercise of the power of Prerogative of Mercy, which includes compulsory consultation with relevant prosecuting agencies.
“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,” he added.
