Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has slammed President Bola Tinubu’s recent wave of presidential pardons, describing it as a “reckless” decision that rewards criminality and undermines Nigeria’s justice system.
“Tinubu’s reckless use of presidential pardon undermines justice and emboldens criminality,” Atiku said in a statement on Sunday, just hours after the federal government released the list of beneficiaries.
On Thursday, President Tinubu granted clemency to several high-profile convicts, including former House of Representatives member Farouk Lawan, jailed for his role in the fuel subsidy scam, and Nweke Francis Chibueze, who was serving a life sentence for cocaine trafficking.
Atiku condemned the move, saying it eroded public trust and sent “a dangerous signal to the international community.”
“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,” he said.
The former vice president also referenced Tinubu’s own controversial past, recalling the 1993 U.S. court forfeiture case involving $460,000 linked to narcotics investigations.
“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,” Atiku said.
He expressed dismay that nearly one-third of the pardoned convicts were involved in drug offences. “Particularly worrisome is the revelation that 29.2 percent of those pardoned were convicted of 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.”
Atiku argued that the constitutional power of pardon should symbolise redemption and moral reform—not political patronage.
“What we have witnessed is a mockery of the criminal justice system, an affront to victims, a demoralisation of law enforcement, and a grave injury to the conscience of the nation,” he said.
He maintained that granting clemency to individuals who had “undermined national stability” was both shocking and indefensible, especially in a period marked by moral decline, insecurity, and drug abuse.
