Last week, 175 Nigerians who had been convicted of a variety of crimes, including drug trafficking, murder, armed robbery, and illegal mining, received a presidential pardon from President Bola Tinubu using his constitutional prerogative of mercy. These individuals were serving sentences that included the death penalty.
Following this, Tinubu has come under fire, especially for granting such pardons to murderers and drug traffickers who should be serving lengthy prison sentences but have just completed two years.
Some claim that the president’s action will merely encourage those who wish to sell narcotics illegally to think that, even if they are caught, they will just receive a minor sentence and eventually get presidential pardon.
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Some have claimed that the president’s move contradicts the government’s stated stance against drug trafficking.
Another side of the debate contends that Nigerians are merely hidden behind the much-discussed concept of fighting drug trafficking.
Some, however, are concerned about how Nigeria would be viewed by the outside world. They fear that Nigeria will be perceived by the international community as a hub for drug trafficking and a safe haven.
Political parties, civil society organisations, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and others have all voiced their disapproval of the Presidential pardon conduct and warned of its grave repercussions for the nation.
Similarly, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC’s interim national publicity secretary, said in a statement yesterday that the President’s move further damages Nigeria’s reputation abroad and undermines the nation’s anti-drug efforts.
The party said that Tinubu’s decision to grant presidential pardon to those serving jail sentences for drug-related offences amounts to an abuse of his prerogative of mercy, particularly because the majority of them have only spent two years.
He pointed out that representatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other security agencies had incurred significant risks in order to pursue and achieve convictions for drug criminals, calling the presidential pardon pitiful and an act of great national shame.
It contended that pardoning such prisoners was nothing more than a mockery of the heroic efforts of law enforcement in the battle against illegal substances and narcotics.
“According to official media statements, it appears that all it takes to get presidential pardon for even the worst of crimes in Nigeria, including drug trafficking, gun running and murderers is to show remorse and learn skills.
Read Also: Atiku blasts Tinubu over ‘reckless’ presidential pardon, says it undermines justice, encourages criminality
“Pardons and clemency are granted for their social utility and to correct perceived miscarriages of justice, and to convicts who have paid their debts to society. But we wonder what Nigeria stands to benefit from this act of clemency to convicts serving life sentences who have barely served two years.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Nigeria is still regarded as a major transit point for illicit drugs while we face a serious national pandemic of drug use, especially among our youths. Several reports have it that Nigeria’s drug use stands at an estimated 14.4 percent, almost three times the global average of 5.5 percent.
“For years, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other security agencies have risked their lives and limbs to combat this problem, dismantle illicit drug networks, intercept consignments, prosecute offenders and secure convictions.
“The men and women in these agencies have laboured under enormous risk and pressure to protect the public from the scourge of addiction, trafficking and related crimes that carry some of the harshest penalties in Nigerian law, precisely because of their devastating impact on public health, youth development and national security.
“Granting clemency to individuals convicted under such laws, therefore, strikes at the very foundation of Nigeria’s legal and moral stance against narcotics and makes a mockery of the gallant efforts of officers fighting the battle against narcotics and illicit drugs,” the party said.
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On the implication of the Tinubu’s presidential pardon in the international arena, the party also said: “These pardons also send reverberations beyond Nigeria’s borders.
“They undercut our standing among global partners in the fight against drug trafficking and give the unfortunate impression to the rest of the world that our country, under President Tinubu, has particular sympathy for drug dealers and that Nigeria is a risk-free jurisdiction for traffickers in narcotics.
“Make no mistakes, with this mass clemency for drug dealers, President Tinubu and the APC are redefining the standard of morality in our country. They are gradually transforming Nigeria into a country where anything goes; a country where even the worst of crimes attract no punishment beyond a few months of inconvenience for the criminal to show remorse.”
Atiku on the other hand stated that the President’s action was not only careless but also encourages criminality in a post on his social media accounts, emphasising that it naturally sparked uproar throughout the country.
He clarified that the presidential pardon power is often a serious prerogative, a moral and constitutional tool intended to emphasise the state’s humanity and balance justice with mercy. He claimed that when used appropriately, it improves justice and boosts public confidence in government.
For el-Rufai, however, the Presidential pardon was a reunion of like-minded individuals rather than an act of compassion as many would believe.
Writing on his Twitter handle, he said: “For a president once accused of forfeiting $460,000to the US authority in a drug linked investigation, pardoning drug dealers feels less like compassion and more like a class reunion of cartel alumni association.’
Meanwhile, Josef Onoh, the President’s Special Advisor on Policy Communication in the South East, has also urged Tinubu to reverse the presidential pardon, especially for Maryam Sanda, who killed her husband and other convicted drug dealers.
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