EDITORIAL
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent wave of presidential pardons (which freed murderers, kidnappers and over seventy convicted drug offenders), has plunged Nigeria’s moral and judicial order into disrepute. Cloaked in the language of compassion, the decision is reckless, ill-judged and steeped in political patronage. It undermines justice, weakens national security and mocks the sacrifices of law enforcement officers.
Unsurprisingly, the move has drawn outrage nationwide. The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) demanded an immediate withdrawal of the pardons, describing them as “entirely inconsistent and incompatible” with Section 15(5) of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates the state to abolish corrupt practices and abuse of power. It also noted that the action breaches Articles 26 and 30 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), which require effective and dissuasive sanctions for corruption-related crimes.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, also condemned the exercise, urging a review of the list of 175 beneficiaries and warning that failure to act would “erode public confidence in the government’s morality and purpose.”
Similarly, the Journalists for Democratic Rights (JODER) joined the chorus of condemnation, demanding that the Federal Executive Council withdraw the presidential pardons, particularly those granted to convicted drug barons. In a statement signed by Adewale Adeoye, JODER said the decision “has further destroyed the moral fabric of the country while pushing Nigeria deeper into the red-light district of global moral reckoning.” It argued that the exercise “brought down the dignity of Nigerians all over the world” and undermined the war against illicit drugs.
JODER added: “There are about 54,000 Nigerians awaiting trial for various offences, including theft of goats or even food. There are also people detained for demanding self-determination. There is no justification why the priority of the government should be the pardon of convicted drug lords whose crimes continue to imperil the health and prosperity of the country.”
No doubt, this decision sends a dangerous signal to citizens and the international community that Nigeria is a drug-baron-friendly nation. This, at a time when the global community is intensifying efforts in combatting drug trafficking. Furthermore, it emboldens criminal cartels that have destroyed countless lives while dampening the morale of law enforcement agents, many of whom have paid the ultimate price in the fight against narcotics.
To be sure, among those pardoned are Abiodun Elemero, sentenced to life for cocaine trafficking; Kelvin Christopher Smith, convicted in 2023 for importing cocaine; Akinrinnade Akinwande Adebiyi, caught dealing in Tramadol; Azubuike Jeremiah Emeka, jailed for importing cocaine in 2021; and Ahmed Adeyemo, who had served nine years of a fifteen-year sentence for cannabis possession. Certainly, by freeing them, the Tinubu administration has betrayed the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and dishonoured officers who died enforcing the law. Under Brigadier General Buba Marwa, the NDLEA seized over ₦500 billion worth of hard drugs in 2024 alone and dismantled major cartels. These gallant achievements have now been undermined by the president’s decision.
Also pardoned was Maryam Sanda, convicted in 2020 for the murder of her husband, Bilyamin Bello. Her release, despite court affirmation of her guilt, suggests that influence, not repentance, determines who deserves clemency. Members of the Bello family have since denied requesting her pardon, insisting that the president was misled.
The list further includes kidnappers, illegal miners and corrupt former public officials. Some of these illegal miners devastated farmlands and polluted rivers, while ex-governors convicted of looting public funds now walk free with their records wiped clean. Supporters claim the move was to decongest prisons, but that defence collapses under scrutiny. If that were true, why were petty offenders and those awaiting trial for years not prioritised? Genuine mercy should uplift the downtrodden, not empower the dangerous.
For a nation battling insecurity and drug trafficking, freeing violent and narcotics-related offenders sends a chilling message that crime pays if one has the right connections. This also questions President Tinubu’s moral compass, highlighting the irony of a leader once accused of links to drug-related forfeitures in the United States now showing leniency towards convicted traffickers. THE NIGERIA STANDARD, therefore, aligns with SERAP and JODER’s demands for the withdrawal of these controversial pardons. Nigerians deserve to know who recommended these names and on what criteria. Otherwise, this decision will remain a permanent stain on Tinubu’s presidency—the day political convenience triumphed over national conscience.
Presidential clemency is a sacred trust, not a political tool. By freeing convicted traffickers, killers and looters, President Tinubu has betrayed that trust. This is not mercy. It is moral decay of the highest order. Thus, history will remember it as the day Nigeria’s conscience was sacrificed on the altar of mere convenience.