- Safiu Kehinde
Former Nigerian Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has faulted President Bola Tinubu’s list of convicts granted presidential pardon and clemency, warning that it set a dangerous precedent to the public and international community.
Atiku made this known in a statement issued on his official X handle on Sunday in reaction to the summary of the list by StatiSense.
NPO Reported that the list, as summarised by the data analytics firm revealed that 29.2% of the convicts granted pardon and clemency were drug barons.
Following the convicts on the second spot were illegal miners with 24.0%.
Others on the list included kidnappers, murderers, corrupt convicts, and armed robbers.
The analysis had since sparked mixed reactions with several netizens faulting the list.
Joining the dissenting voices, Atiku accused Tinubu of diminishing the sanctity of justice and sending dangerous signal to the public with his pardon of drug barons, kidnappers, corrupt convicts, and others.
He held that pardoning largely drug baron at a time when the country is battling with spate of narcotics usage by youths is worrisome.
Atiku further labelled the President’s pardon as a moral irony considering his unresolved and unexplained issues relating to the forfeiture of thousands of dollars to the United States government over drug-related investigations.
He maintained that clemency must not be confused with complicity, stressing that when government absolve offenders of the very crimes it claims to be fighting, it erodes the moral authority of leadership and emboldens lawlessness.
The statement read; “The recent announcement of a presidential pardon by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has, as expected, provoked outrage across the nation.
“Ordinarily, the power of presidential pardon is a solemn prerogative, a moral and constitutional instrument designed to temper justice with mercy and to underscore the humanity of the state. When properly exercised, it elevates justice and strengthens public faith in governance.
“Regrettably, the latest pardon issued by the Tinubu administration has done the very opposite.
“The decision to extend clemency to individuals convicted of grave crimes such as drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder, and corruption not only diminishes the sanctity of justice but also sends a dangerous signal to the public and the international community about the values this government upholds.
“At a time when Nigeria continues to reel under the weight of insecurity, moral decay, and a surge in drug-related offences, it is both shocking and indefensible that the presidency would prioritize clemency for those whose actions have directly undermined national stability and social order.
“Particularly worrisome is the revelation that 29.2% percent of those pardoned were convicted for drug-related crimes at a time when our youth are being destroyed by narcotics, and our nation is still struggling to cleanse its image from the global stain of drug offences.
“Even more disturbing is the moral irony that this act of clemency is coming from a President whose own past remains clouded by unresolved and unexplained issues relating to the forfeiture of thousands of dollars to the United States government over drug-related investigations.
“It is, therefore, no surprise that this administration continues to demonstrate a worrying tolerance for individuals associated with criminal enterprise.
“A presidential pardon is meant to symbolize restitution and moral reform.
“Instead, what we have witnessed is a mockery of the criminal justice system, an affront to victims, a demoralization of law enforcement, and a grave injury to the conscience of the nation.
“Clemency must never be confused with complicity. When a government begins to absolve offenders of the very crimes it claims to be fighting, it erodes the moral authority of leadership and emboldens lawlessness.
“Nigeria deserves a leadership that upholds justice, not one that trivializes it.”