Di news say Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday grant pardon to plenty Nigerians - some wey don die - don spread like wild fire.

Di tori don start ogbonge tok-tok especially among young pipo for di kontri.

Some dey wonder why somebodi like Herbert Macaulay, wey be one of Nigeria founding fathers wey don die many years ago, go even need presidential pardon.

While for odas, di recent case of Farouk Lawan wey court send to prison for collecting bribe, still dey fresh for dia memory and dem feel say dis pardon look like reward for bad behaviour.

Di list include plenty oda names of regular Nigerians wey pipo no too know, like one Nweke Francis Chibueze, wey dey serve life imprisonment sake of say e carry cocaine, and Nwogu Peters, wey don serve 12 years for inside im 17 years prison sentence for 419 offence.

However, di presidency tok say di individuals wey Tinubu grant pardon don "demonstrate sufficient remorse", so di pardon na "to allow dem to integrate into society".

Some of di popular names for di list, wetin be dia offence?

Herbert Macaulay

Im full name na Olayinka Herbert Samuel Heelas Badmus Macaulay, dem born am for November 1864 and e follow for di ogbonge Nigerians wey no gree for di British Colonialists for di struggle for Nigeria Independence.

Oga Macaulay na national hero sotey im face dey for di one naira currency wey Nigeria dey use till today.

However, im gbas-gbos wit di colonial masters bin land am for trouble plenty times and on different occasions dem try am and send am go prison.

In 1913, dem accuse oga Macaulay say im bin chop money wey belong to one estate wey im bin dey look afta.

Di mata go court and di prosecution lawyer na one of Macaulay former tenant, according to di narrative of ogbonge historian Patrick Dele-Cole.

Las las, di court find Herbert Macaulay guilty of "intent to defraud" and sama am five years in prison, wey many pipo say e dey too harsh for di alleged offence.

Also, di historian Dele-Cole bin record anoda incident wey im refer to as "di gun powder case", wia di Lagos Daily newspaper wey Herbert Macaulay dey run dat time, write one tori say di colonial govment for Lagos bin plan to blow up di car of di Oba of Lagos dat time Eshugbayi Eleko.

Govment sentence Maculay to six months in prison wit hard labour and no option of fine for dat report.

Herbert Macaulay die for May 1946 and e dey 81 years old wen e die.

Mamman Vatsa

Mamman Jiya Vatsa na Major General for di Nigeria army and e bin work as di Minister of di Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

In December 1985, di Nigeria govment accuse Vatsa and nine oda military officers say dem conspire to commit treason.

Govment try dem for military court-martial, find dem guilty and sentence dem to death.

For March 5, 1986, dem kill dem for firing squad.

Asides from say e be military man, Vatsa na also poet wey publish plent poetry books for both adults and children.

As one of di commanders of di Nigeria army during di Nigeria-Biafra civil war, Vatsa later write academic articles about wetin happun during some of di battles for di war.

Di Writers' Village for Abuja dey named afta Mamman Vatsa to recognise im contribution to develop literature for Nigeria.

Farouk Lawan

Farouk Muhammad Lawan serve four terms for Nigeria House of Representatives, from 1999 to 2015, representing Bagwai/Shanono Federal Constituency of Kano State.

But court send am to seven years in prison for bribery in 2021.

Di mata start from 2012 wen Lawan be di chairman of di committee wey investigate di fuel subsidy scandal.

Court rule say oga Lawan bin collect $500,000 as bribe from one Nigeria billionaire, Femi Otedola, so e no go include Otedola oil company as one of di pipo wey follow chop govment subsidy money.

Video capture as Otedola dey give Lawan di bribe money, and e put some of dem for im cap, wey make some tori pipo dey call am 'di cap banker'.

Afta di federal high court find am guilty, Lawan challenge di judgement reach di Supreme Court but di guilty decision remain.

For October 2024, dem release am from prison afta e finish im sentence.

Lawan don already release statement dis Friday to thank President Tinubu for pardoning him as e tok say "my hope don dey renewed".

Di Ogoni Nine

Di Ogoni Nine na group of nine environmental activists from di Ogoni region of Rivers State for southern Nigeria, wey oppose di operating practices of di Royal Dutch Shell oil corporation for di Niger Delta region.

Dia names na:

.Ken Saro-Wiwa - who be di head of di Movement for di Survival of di Ogoni People (MOSOP),

.Saturday Dobee

.Nordu Eawo

.Daniel Gbooko

.Paul Levera

.Felix Nuate

.Baribor Bera

.Barinem Kiobel

.John Kpuine

Nigeria govment bin accuse dem say na dem cause di murder of four Ogoni chiefs, and on 10 November 1995, govment execute dem by hanging for Port Harcourt Prison.

Wetin dis pardon mean?

Section 175 of di Nigeria constitution give di President power to pardon any body of any offence wey di law bin don find am guilty of, afta im don consult wit di Council of State.

Di powers of di President unda dis section of di constitution na:

To grant any pesin convicted of any offence pardon, either free or subject to lawful conditions

To grant any pesin respite, either indefinitely or for a particular period, of di execution of any punishment wey di pesin suppose serve sake of di offence wey e bin commit

To substitute a less form of punishment for di pesin for im offence

To remit di whole or any part of di punishment for dat pesin for any penalty or forfeiture wey e don make to di State sake of di offence.

Normally, any body wey court bin find guilty of criminal offence, and e serve prison sentence, di pesin go lose some of im rights, such as di right to hold public office, for a period of time, usually ten years.

But for Nigeria, a presidential pardon no just dey forgive di pesin of di crime, e dey also remove di consequences of di conviction and restore all di pesin rights to am.

E mean say Farouk Lawan and all di pipo we President Tinubu grant total pardon, fit dey eligible to run for office either for dia home states or national.
https://cdn.ghanaweb.com/imagelib/pics/365/36573615.jpg




Olayinka Herbert Samuel Heelas Badmus Macaulay



Mamman Jiya Vatsa




Farouk Muhammad Lawan



Ken Saro-Wiwa na di leader of di Ogoni Nine who Nigeria govment bin kill by hanging in 1995