Human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, has commended President Bola Tinubu for reviewing the controversial presidential pardon list, but criticised the process that led to the inclusion of individuals convicted of serious crimes, describing it as a national embarrassment.
Speaking on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, The Morning Brief, on Thursday, Effiong questioned why such a list was made public without proper scrutiny, suggesting either gross incompetence or deliberate manipulation on the part of presidential advisers.
“To some extent, to his [Tinubu’s] credit, it was good that the list has been reviewed.
”The initial list was an embarrassment, a dent, not only on the image of this country, but on the character of the government itself.
“So, when some of us publicly condemned the inclusion of those names, we expected that corrective action would follow and I’m glad that has happened, ” Effiong said.
President Tinubu had earlier approved a presidential pardon list which sparked widespread outrage after it was discovered that several beneficiaries were individuals convicted of crimes such as kidnapping, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and fraud.
Following the public backlash, the President ordered a comprehensive review of the list, eventually delisting those convicted of serious offences.
In a statement on Wednesday, Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga said the decision was guided by security concerns, sensitivity to victims, and Nigeria’s international obligations.
“This action became necessary in view of the seriousness and security implications of some of the offences, the need to be sensitive to the feelings of victims and society in general, and the need to boost the morale of law enforcement agencies,” Onanuga stated.
He added that the concept of justice was treated as “a three-way traffic for the accused, the victim, and the state.”
While acknowledging Tinubu’s decision to amend the list, Effiong argued that the initial inclusion of certain names raised legitimate concerns about the competence and credibility of those responsible for advising the President.
“This speaks to the quality of governance and the kind of advice being given to the President.
“Either this was done intentionally to send a certain message to Nigerians that the President has sympathy for such offenders — or those who should vet such decisions were either compromised or grossly incompetent, ” he said.
Effiong called for greater accountability and transparency in the decision-making process within the presidency, insisting that such lapses undermined public confidence in governance.
“It is commendable that the President acted swiftly to correct this blunder.
“But Nigerians deserve to know who recommended these names in the first place. Accountability cannot stop halfway, ” he said.
The lawyer’s comments come a day after the Presidency confirmed that individuals previously convicted of illicit drug offences and violent crimes had been removed from the list of pardoned persons.
The controversy surrounding the initial pardon list had triggered intense debate across the country, with civil society groups warning that granting clemency to hardened criminals could “embolden criminality and weaken the justice system.”
