By: Sunday Ameh
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has criticised the Federal Government over the controversial presidential pardon granted to 175 inmates before being partially revoked, describing the process as embarrassing and legally defective.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Friday, Falana said Nigeria was “exposed to ridicule” after individuals convicted of serious offences — including kidnapping, corruption, and firearms crimes — were initially cleared for release under President Bola Tinubu’s prerogative of mercy.
The presidential pardon generated public outrage earlier in October, prompting the government to review the list and withdraw clemency for about 140 of the beneficiaries. The Presidency later announced that the revised decision reflected its commitment to due process and accountability.
However, Falana insisted the situation was mishandled from the start, arguing that the list violated constitutional provisions guiding executive clemency. He noted that some individuals on the list were recently convicted, while others were prosecuted under state laws, which fall under the jurisdiction of state governors and not the President.
“Those who were not deserving of pardon were recommended for pardon,” Falana said, stressing that the incident dented the government’s anti-corruption posture. He cited a case in which a suspect prosecuted by the EFCC for 11 years and convicted in April 2025 still appeared on the clemency list.
According to him, merely pruning the number of beneficiaries was insufficient to address what he described as “a colossal embarrassment.”
Falana called on the Attorney-General of the Federation to publicly apologise to Nigerians over the handling of the matter, declaring:
“The very least the Attorney-General can do is to apologise. It is not done that way.”
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