Anthony Sani, the former secretary-general of the prominent northern socio-cultural group Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), has expressed strong opposition to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent decision to grant clemency to individuals convicted of drug trafficking and homicide.
In an interview with our reporter, Sani highlighted that several beneficiaries of the pardon were responsible for taking lives, inflicting deep emotional wounds on the families affected.
He emphasized that the presidential advisory committee on the prerogative of mercy should exercise this power with utmost caution, ensuring that such decisions do not undermine justice or public confidence.
“Granting clemency to those who have committed murder has inflicted further pain on the victims’ relatives and weakened the deterrent impact of punitive justice. Moreover, extending pardons to drug offenders is unwise, given the severe harm drugs cause to the value of human life,” Sani remarked.
