President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Communication for the South-East, Josef Onoh, has urged him to withdraw the recent state pardon granted to Maryam Sanda and several convicted drug traffickers.
Last week, Tinubu approved the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, granting clemency to 175 inmates, including capital offenders, drug convicts, and foreign nationals.
Among the beneficiaries was Sanda, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, during a domestic dispute. Others included Nweke Francis Chibueze, serving a life term for cocaine trafficking, and Isaac Justina, whose sentence for cannabis possession was reduced.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Onoh condemned the decision as “morally wrong,” describing it as a “rape of justice” that could tarnish Nigeria’s global image.
He argued that although the President’s action was constitutionally permissible, it violated moral and ethical standards.
“This act, while lawful, contradicts the moral imperatives of retributive justice and restorative equity. It inflicts psychological pain on victims’ families, perpetuates systemic injustice, and weakens deterrence mechanisms vital to societal order,” Onoh said.
He maintained that pardoning Sanda “undermines the sanctity of human life and accountability,” while extending clemency to drug traffickers “signals moral decay that endangers vulnerable members of society.”
Onoh further warned that the move portrays Nigeria as “a haven for impunity,” discourages foreign investors, and undermines the country’s credibility with global institutions such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which has praised Nigeria’s anti-narcotics campaign.
He added that the decision could also demoralise law enforcement officers, including operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the police, who risk their lives to bring such offenders to justice.
Onoh appealed to President Tinubu to rescind the pardons granted to Sanda and the convicted drug traffickers through a transparent review process.
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“Reversing this decision would not merely correct an error—it is a moral necessity to restore justice, heal the nation’s conscience, and protect Nigeria’s global reputation,” he stated.
