By
Ola Olateju
When a nation begins to pardon its drug dealers, human traffickers, and armed robbers under the guise of “presidential mercy,” it signals not compassion but corrosion – a corrosion of values, institutions, and leadership conscience. There is a proverb that asks: “If a thief is pardoned, is the market safe?” In Nigeria today, that proverb takes on more than poetic weight.
Last week’s announcement that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu granted presidential pardon to 175 convicts and ex-convicts, including individuals convicted of drug-related crimes, human trafficking, and armed robbery, has triggered national outrage. According to the official breakdown, 40 percent of those pardoned were drug offenders, while others were convicted of serious felonies that endangered lives and national security. Nigerians once again find themselves asking whether clemency has become a tool for moral compromise rather than redemption.
The moral shock is not merely in the number pardoned, but in the message it sends. That crime in Nigeria is negotiable – depending on who you know or which political current you swim with. Simply put, have these criminals declared support for APC come 2027?
A Tradition of Political Expediency, Not Justice
Presidential pardons are constitutionally backed under Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers the President to grant clemency, reprieve, or pardon on the advice of the Council of State. Yet over the years, this noble provision originally designed for humanitarian intervention has been weaponized for political appeasement and elite rehabilitation.
From President Goodluck Jonathan’s controversial clemency for ex-governors convicted of corruption, and Muhammadu Buhari’s release of politically connected offenders, the pattern has remained the same – pardon as patronage. President Tinubu’s latest list does not break that tradition. It deepens it. The inclusion of drug traffickers and violent offenders mocks the country’s anti-narcotics and anti-trafficking campaigns, even as his government publicly celebrates the NDLEA’s achievements.
Historical Precedents: The Politics of Mercy
The use and misuse of the presidential pardon did not start with Tinubu. A short survey of his predecessors’ records reveals that the corrosion of the pardon power is long-running and entrenched.
Goodluck Jonathan, in 2013, granted pardon to former Bayelsa State Governor DiepreyeAlamieyeseigha, who was convicted of laundering millions of dollars stolen from state coffers. Alamieyeseigha was not just a convict; he was Jonathan’s former political benefactor and boss. The government justified the pardon on grounds of “remorse” and “national healing,” but Nigerians saw it for what it was – rehabilitation of a political ally.
Muhammadu Buhari, in 2022, approved clemency for former governors Joshua Dariye of Plateau State and Jolly Nyameof Taraba State. Both convicted of multi-billion naira corruption and sentenced by competent courts. The official justification was “age and ill health,” yet civil society groups like SERAP and CISLAC decried the move as a “mockery of the anti-corruption war.” Even former President Obasanjo publicly alleged that the process was tainted by corruption and manipulation.
Over time, a dangerous precedent has crystallised. Those with political connections can steal, be convicted, and yet return home cleansed and celebrated.
The Moral Contradiction
Nigeria is a country where thousands of young men and women languish in overcrowded correctional centres for petty crimes such as stealing bread, SIM cards, or bicycles. Some awaiting trial for years. Yet, those who ruin lives through drugs, trafficking, and grand corruption are deemed worthy of mercy from the highest office in the land. That is not justice; it is institutional hypocrisy.
How does a nation that publicly laments the scourge of drug abuse and human trafficking turn around to reward those who fuel it? What moral message does this send to the law enforcement officers risking their lives daily, or to millions of Nigerian youths already tempted by the easy lure of crime?
The contradiction is not just legal, it is profoundly ethical. The very act of mercy, when divorced from justice and accountability, becomes moral malpractice.
A Deep Rot of Elite Immorality
It is not the act of pardon that shocks Nigerians but the pattern of selective forgiveness. Presidential mercy in Nigeria has become an instrument of political convenience. A soft landing for cronies, allies, and connected felons. The law becomes a sieve – porous at the top, merciless at the bottom.
As one observer aptly put it, “That’s what nations get when Capones are in charge.”
When leaders who once courted controversy over the same vices begin to normalize criminality from the top, the moral compass of the nation spins out of control. When society applauds convicts for “having connections,” justice becomes a joke, and the very idea of deterrence collapses.
The Cost of Clemency Without Conscience
The misuse of presidential pardon does not only erode law; it corrodes the moral foundation upon which the state itself rests. Every ill-judged pardon carries a heavy social and institutional price. Justice becomes selective, creating a dangerous disparity between the poor and the powerful. The common thief who steals out of hunger faces the full weight of the law, while the political elite who steals billions receives state-sanctioned absolution.
This selective mercy breeds impunity. Public office gradually becomes an insurance policy against punishment, and corruption turns into a revolving door where crime is followed not by disgrace, but by rehabilitation. The agencies tasked with enforcing the law – EFCC, NDLEA, and others become demoralized as years of investigative effort and prosecution are nullified by a single presidential signature.
For ordinary citizens, the consequence is profound disillusionment. They come to believe that laws exist only to discipline the powerless. In such a moral climate, cynicism replaces citizenship, and the social contract begins to decay. Beyond our borders, Nigeria’s reputation also suffers: foreign partners question our sincerity in fighting corruption, while global confidence in our justice system and governance standards steadily erodes.
Restoring Integrity to the Power of Pardon
Yet, redemption is still possible. Not for the offenders, but for the nation’s conscience. The power to pardon, when guided by transparency, fairness, and moral clarity, can serve as a symbol of humanity rather than hypocrisy. It can correct judicial excesses, acknowledge genuine remorse, and encourage rehabilitation. But for that to happen, Nigeria’s leaders must first reclaim the moral discipline that the office demands.
The presidency must institute clear and transparent criteria for granting pardons. Criteria that include evidence of genuine reform, time served, restitution to victims, and a proven commitment to lawful living. Every act of clemency should be accompanied by public disclosure of the reasons behind it, so that citizens can see justice tempered with mercy, not replaced by it.
Furthermore, the process must no longer be an in-house ritual of the Council of State or the Attorney-General’s office. It requires independent oversight, with civil society and judicial representatives participating to ensure fairness and to prevent political manipulation. Cases involving corruption, abuse of public trust, or violent crime should face the strictest scrutiny, with clear proof of repentance and restitution before any pardon is considered.
Finally, there is an urgent need for constitutional or legislative reform to set boundaries for this discretion. No single officeholder should have unchecked power to reverse judicial verdicts that represent years of painstaking legal process. True justice must be transparent, predictable, and accountable even in mercy.
A Nation That Pardons Its Own Decline
A country that pardons its most dangerous elements while persecuting its most patriotic voices is consciously digging its own grave. The presidential pardon is not merely a legal act. It is a moral statement that defines who we are and what we value.
If the Presidency must exercise this prerogative, it must do so transparently, guided by conscience and equity, not expediency. Until that is done, this mass pardon remains an ethical scandal, an assault on the moral intelligence of the Nigerian people, and another chapter in the book of our national decay.
Because when a nation begins to pardon those who poison its streets and traffic its daughters, it is not showing mercy but simply signing its own moral death warrant.
OLATEJU WRITES FROM ACHIEVERS UNIVERSITY, OWO, ONDO STATE
