The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s pardon and clemency for drug traffickers, describing it as a national disgrace and a move that portrays Nigeria as a country sympathising with drug dealers before the international community.

In a statement issued on Sunday by its spokesperson, Bola Abdullahi, the opposition party said it “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.”

“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 ADC said.

While admitting that pardons and clemency are granted for their social utility—to correct perceived miscarriages of justice and to benefit convicts who have paid their debts to society—the opposition party said it “wonders what Nigeria stands to benefit from this act of clemency to convicts serving life sentences who have barely served two years.”

Highlighting the devastation caused by drug use in the country, the ADC said, “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%.”

According to the opposition party, the pardons are counterproductive, as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other security agencies have for years risked life and limb to combat illicit drug networks, intercept consignments, prosecute offenders, and secure convictions.

It added, “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.”

The ADC’s statement followed Mr Tinubu’s government’s release of a full list of those granted presidential pardon, including individuals convicted of murder, fraud, and drug trafficking, along with explanations for their pardon and clemency.

Mr Tinubu had, on Thursday, granted presidential pardons to former House of Representatives member Farouk Lawan—convicted of a fuel subsidy scam—Nweke Francis Chibueze, serving a life sentence for cocaine trafficking, and several others.

In a statement released on Saturday by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, containing the full list of 175 people, the president said he “granted clemency to most of them based on the reports that the convicts had shown remorse and good conduct.”