ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Amnesty International has expressed deep concern over President Bola Tinubu’s recent decision to grant presidential pardons, calling on the government to reconsider its action.
Last Thursday, President Tinubu granted a state pardon to one of Nigeria’s founding fathers, Herbert Macaulay, and former Federal Capital Territory minister under the Babangida regime, Major General Mamman Vatsa (retd).
However, the list of beneficiaries also included several convicts, ex-convicts, drug offenders, illegal miners, and foreigners, a development that has stirred widespread controversy.
In a statement issued on Monday, the global human rights watchdog said the pardons demonstrated a troubling prioritisation of offenders over their victims, thereby blocking justice and reparations for those who suffered from the actions of the convicted individuals.
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“The way and manner Nigerian authorities carried out the exercise seemed to prioritise the perpetrators instead of access to justice and effective remedies for the victims and their families,” Amnesty International stated.
The organisation further warned that the decision could undermine the rule of law, obstruct the pursuit of truth and accountability, and entrench impunity for serious human rights violations in Nigeria.
“Amnesty International is deeply concerned by the clemency and pardons granted by the government of President Bola Tinubu to some persons convicted of human rights crimes, as the pardons for these crimes prevent reparations for victims,” the statement added.
It continued: “The actions of the government have the potential of undermining the rule of law, preventing the emergence of the truth, the determination of guilt or innocence by a court and reparations for victims, as well as entrenching impunity for human rights crimes.”
Amnesty International therefore urged President Tinubu to reconsider his government’s pardons for those convicted of human rights crimes and to ensure the protection of victims’ rights and justice for their families.