The International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) has called on President Bola Tinubu to consider granting conditional presidential pardon to suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari, citing the country’s pressing national security concerns.
In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by its head of diplomatic mission in Nigeria, Ambassador (Dr.) Duru Hezekiah, IHRC said its appeal was not aimed at disrupting ongoing judicial proceedings but to encourage a “future-focused, constitutionally grounded approach” that could leverage Kyari’s expertise in tackling insecurity, under lawful and transparent conditions.
“Our position is not to circumvent justice or interrupt legal processes,” the statement said, “Rather, we urge a framework that recognises the tactical value of experienced security personnel—if found eligible under law and subject to public accountability.”
The commission noted that Nigeria was grappling with an alarming rise in terrorism, kidnapping, organised crime, and armed banditry, stressing that any lawful measure that could bolster the country’s security infrastructure deserved consideration.
IHRC cited Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers the President to grant pardons and reprieves and pointed to global precedents where conditional clemency or plea arrangements have been used strategically.
“In the United States, former hackers have been recruited to strengthen cybersecurity defences. In post-conflict African states, ex-warlords have been given conditional amnesties to help restore peace,” the statement said, “Similarly, a conditional pardon for Kyari, subject to public accountability, could transform a controversial figure into a rehabilitated asset in Nigeria’s fight against crime.”
While reaffirming its commitment to justice and the rule of law, IHRC stressed that its call was not a plea for impunity, but a pragmatic suggestion to balance justice with national resilience.
