Pardon: Justice Can Never Be Denied, But Can Only Be Delayed, Says Vatsa’s Family

THE family of the late Maj-Gen. Mamman Vatsa, in expressing appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for granting the former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) a posthumous pardon, nearly four decades after his execution, said though justice may be delayed, but it cannot be denied.
Vatsa was executed in 1986 alongside nine military officers after a military tribunal convicted them of plotting a coup against then head of state, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida.
Tinubu had on Thursday, October 9, following the approval of the National Council of State, exercised his constitutional prerogative of mercy by pardoning 175 persons, including Vatsa.
Spokesperson of the family and a former commissioner for Information, Jonathan Vatsa, in a statement issued in Minna, Niger State, on Friday, October 10, described the pardon as the greatest moment of relief since his father’s death.
According to the statement:“Today is the happiest moment in the life of the family after 39 years of sorrow and sadness following the killing of our late father, brother and uncle.
“Though nothing can bring him back to life, the family is consoled by this display of statesmanship by our dear President. He has written his name in gold and history will forever remember him.”
Jonathan said the gesture had “wiped away the tears” of the family, noting that successive governments had ignored repeated appeals for clemency.
Reaffirming the family’s stance on Vatsa’s innocence, he insisted the coup charge was “a frame-up” and the trial “a stage-managed process” designed to eliminate the officer “out of envy and hatred.”
He stated: “Justice can never be denied, but can only be delayed. The family is convinced that the late Vatsa must be happy in his grave today by this singular act of compassion by President Tinubu.
“This goes to show that truth doesn’t expire.”
The younger Vatsa recalled that the late Gen. Domkat Bali, a member of the military council at the time, had publicly admitted that the evidence against Vatsa was weak and questioned whether execution was justified.
He said while some of Vatsa’s closest relatives, including his wife and a number of his children, were no longer alive to witness the pardon, the surviving children and grandchildren were grateful to be part of the historic moment.
He concluded: “The family still maintains that the late General Vatsa was innocent of the coup. But we thank President Tinubu for his magnanimity in granting him the state pardon.”