President Bola Tinubu has granted a presidential pardon to Nweke Chibueze Francis, who was convicted of exporting 1.416 kilograms of cocaine on the 14th day of May, 2009.
Chibueze, serving a life sentence, was pardoned, along with Dr Nwogu Peters, who had served 12 out of his 17-year sentence for fraud.
Tinubu also pardoned four former convicts, including former House of Representatives member, Farouk Lawan, Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia, Barrister Hussaini Umar and Ayinla Saadu Alanamu.
They were pardoned to enable them to integrate into society, having demonstrated sufficient remorse.In exercising his constitutional power of mercy, Tinubu granted clemency to 82 inmates and reduced the prison terms of 65 others.
He gave a reprieve for seven inmates on the death row by commuting their sentences to life imprisonment.
He also granted a presidential pardon to one of Nigeria’s founding fathers, Herbert Macaulay, and former FCT minister in the Babangida regime, Major General Mamman Vatsa (retd).
While Vatsa was sentenced to death over a treason charge in 1986, Macaulay was twice convicted by the colonial authorities in Lagos.
