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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) has called for a strategic and conditional presidential pardon for detained Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Abba Kyari, giving the rising threats to Nigeria’s internal security.
The call was contained in a statement issued by Ambassador Duru Hezekiah, the IHRC Head of Diplomatic Mission in Nigeria. But the group affirmed its respect for the on-going judicial proceedings against the suspended DCP.
Hezekiah explained that the call was not aimed at influencing court decisions, but to seek consideration of strategic national interests, especially if not feasible during the trial’s course.
“Our position is not to circumvent justice or interrupt legal processes. Rather, we urge a future-focused, constitutionally grounded approach that recognises the tactical value of experienced security personnel—if found eligible under law and subject to public accountability,” he said. While reaffirming its commitment to justice and the rule of law, the IHRC proposed that Nigeria could consider conditional clemency, citing Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers the President to potentially grant pardons and reprieves.
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“Globally, there are precedents where convicted individuals with valuable operational expertise have been reintegrated into national service through conditional frameworks, under strict legal and ethical oversight.
“In the United States, law enforcement agencies have regularly offered plea bargains or deferred sentencing in exchange for intelligence or cooperation.
“Former hackers have been recruited by governments to assist in cyber security defences. In post-conflict African states, ex-warlords have been granted conditional amnesties to enable peace and stability,” it said.
The IHRC emphasised that such conditional clemency should not be viewed as forgiveness, but as a pragmatic tool of national security strategy, particularly when the individual involved has demonstrated proven tactical and intelligence capabilities that could aid national stability, if lawfully and transparently redeployed.
“A conditional pardon for Kyari, subject to public accountability, could transform a controversial figure into a rehabilitated asset in Nigeria’s fight against crime,” the commission added.
