The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has “condemned” President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s latest decision to grant presidential pardon to certain Nigerians, specifically criticizing the clemency extended to “drug traffickers and smugglers.”
In a statement, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, “described the action as ‘pathetic and a national disgrace,’ warning that the move undermines Nigeria’s anti-drug efforts, encourages crime, and further tarnishes Nigeria’s image in the eyes of the world.”
Abdullahi asserted that the ADC “finds it ‘pathetic and an act of immense national disgrace’ ” that the presidential pardon and clemency granted to “several convicted criminals” constitutes a “most irresponsible abuse of the presidential power of prerogative of mercy to grant express pardon to dozens of convicts held for drug trafficking, smuggling, and related offences, especially when most of these convicts have barely served two years in jail for offences that carry a penalty of life imprisonment.”
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He argued that clemency is traditionally granted for “social utility,” to correct perceived injustices, or to convicts who have “paid their debts to society.”
He questioned the benefit to the nation, asking: “But we wonder what Nigeria stands to benefit from this act of clemency to convicts serving life sentences who have barely served two years.”
Abdullahi also pointed to the country’s drug crisis, stating:“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%, almost three times the global average of 5.5%.”
The ADC praised the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other security outfits for risking life and limb to combat this problem, dismantle illicit drug networks, intercept consignments, prosecute offenders, and secure convictions.
The party stressed that officers 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.”
The party concluded that “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.”
Furthermore, the ADC warned of international repercussions: “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.”
The opposition party concluded that with the “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.”
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