Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have taken President Bola Tinubu to the cleaner for granting pardon to some persons serving prison terms for drug related offences.
They said the action was capable of embolddening criminals and increasing criminality in the country.
The ADC, in a statement by its interim national publicity secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the President’s action undermines the country’s anti-drug efforts and encourages crime, as well as further tarnishes Nigeria’s image in the international community.
The Federal Government had, last week, announced presidential pardon for 175 convicts, serving various prison terms, including those convicted for drug trafficking and related crimes.
The ADC contended that the pardon amounted to abuse of the President’s prerogative of mercy to grant clemency to persons serving prison terms for drug related offences, especially when most of them have barely served two terms.
They maintained that the action was “pathetic and an act of immense national disgrace.” It noted that officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other security agencies have taken grave risks to prosecute and secure convictions for drug offenders.
The party argued that granting clemency to the convicts was tantamount to a mockery of the efforts of gallant officers in the fight against narcotics and illicit drugs.
“According to official media statements, it appears that all it takes to get presidential clemency for even the worst of crimes in Nigeria, including drug trafficking, gun running and murderers is to show remorse and learn skills.
“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 ADC stated.
Continuing, “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 mistake, 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, where even the worst of crimes attract no punishment beyond a few months of inconvenience for the criminal to, by their assessment, show remorse.”
Similarly, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has also stated that the President’s action is not only reckless but also emboldens criminality.
In a post on his social media platforms, Atiku said the development as expected has “provoked outrage across the nation.”
He reiterated that ordinarily, the power of presidential pardon is a solemn prerogative, “a moral and constitutional instrument designed to temper justice with mercy and to underscore the humanity of the state. When properly exercised, it elevates justice and strengthens public faith in governance.
“Regrettably, the latest pardon issued by the Tinubu administration has done the very opposite. 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.”
The opposition leader noted that at a time when Nigeria continues to reel under the weight of insecurity, moral decay and a surge in drug-related offences, “it is both shocking and indefensible that the presidency would prioritise clemency for those whose actions have directly undermined national stability and social order.
“Particularly worrisome is the revelation that 29.2 percent percent of those pardoned were convicted for 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.
“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.”
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023 added that it was no surprise that this administration continued to demonstrate a worrying tolerance for individuals associated with criminal enterprise.
He argued that, “A presidential pardon is meant to symbolise restitution and moral reform. Instead, 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.
“Clemency must never be confused with complicity. When a government begins to absolve offenders from the very crimes it claims to be fighting, it erodes the moral authority of leadership and emboldens lawlessness.