By Desire Emmanuel
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s recent decision to grant presidential pardons to dozens of convicted drug traffickers and smugglers.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party 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.
The statement reads in part: The African Democratic Congress (ADC) finds as pathetic and an act of immense national disgrace the recent presidential pardon and clemency granted to several convicted criminals by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“It amounts to 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.
“According to official media statements, it appears that all it takes to get presidential clemency for even the worst of crimes in Nigeria, including drug trafficking, gun running, and murder, is to “show remorse and learn skills.”
“Pardons and clemency are granted for their social utility and to correct perceived miscarriages of justice, and to convicts who have paid their debts to society. But we wonder what Nigeria stands to benefit from this act of clemency to convicts serving life sentences who have barely served two years.
“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%.
“For years, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other security agencies have risked life and limb to combat this problem, dismantle illicit drug networks, intercept consignments, prosecute offenders, and secure convictions.
“The men and women 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. 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.
“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.
“Make no mistake, with this 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.”
