A planned presidential pardon for 175 convicts has been halted for a major review after significant backlash.
The list, announced by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, included individuals convicted for crimes like murder, kidnapping, and corruption.
However, security and anti-graft agencies, including the EFCC and NDLEA, strongly opposed the inclusion of many names. Officials alleged that low-level committee members had “smuggled” ineligible names onto the list.
In response, the AGF has ordered a full multi-agency probe. The EFCC, NDLEA, and police are now vetting every name.
Presidential sources indicate that more than half of the nominees could be dropped from the final list pending the outcome of the integrity checks. President Bola Tinubu is awaiting the newly vetted list before granting final approval.
