Tinubu’s clemency reduces kidnap kingpin Kelvin Oniarah’s sentence to 13 years

The 20-year prison sentence of Kelvin Ezeigbe Oniarah, a notorious kidnapper, has been reduced following his inclusion in President Bola Tinubu’s list of inmates granted clemency.

Oniarah, convicted and sentenced by Justice Binta Nyako in 2023, will now serve 13 years instead of 20 after showing “remorsefulness” and participating in academic programmes at the National Open University (NOUN), according to Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy.

Oniarah, from Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, once led a group he called the Liberation Movement of the Urhobo People (LIMUP) and described himself as a “freedom fighter.”

He claimed to have thousands of followers and justified his actions as a struggle against what he termed federal neglect of his community.

Oniarah was arrested on September 25, 2013, after a joint operation by the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Army.

He was linked to multiple high-profile abductions, including that of human rights lawyer Mike Ozekhome, who was kidnapped on August 23, 2013, on the Benin–Auchi highway in Edo State.

During Ozekhome’s abduction, Oniarah’s gang killed four police officers who responded to the incident. The lawyer was released after three weeks in captivity and a ransom of ₦40 million was reportedly paid.

Oniarah and his gang were also accused of kidnapping Hope Eghagha, a former Delta State commissioner for higher education, in 2012, and the abduction and murder of Dr. Chudi Nwike, a former deputy governor of Anambra State, in 2013.

Following these crimes, Oniarah issued a 60-day ultimatum to the federal and Delta governments to release his detained members or face “nationwide bloodshed.”

Set to regain freedom in 2026

Justice Nyako had ruled that Oniarah’s sentence would run from the date of his arrest in 2013.

By the time of his conviction in 2023, he had already spent a decade in prison and was due for release in 2033. However, the presidential clemency means he will now walk free in 2026.

Reacting to Oniarah’s inclusion on the list, Funke Adeoye, founder of Hope Behind Bars Africa, questioned the rationale behind the pardon.

Adeoye said that while Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution empowers the president to grant clemency, the latest list raised concerns about fairness and justice.

“We have strong reservations about some names on the list. Oniarah’s case, in particular, makes citizens question whether this process is about access to power or privilege,” she told FIJ.

Adeoye argued that while many inmates who deserved clemency such as Jackson Sunday, sentenced to death for self-defence, were excluded, high-profile convicts like Oniarah and Maryam Sanda were favoured.

“There are people who have no business being in prison, yet they’re overlooked, while those with influence are pardoned.

Releasing someone like Oniarah, given the rise in violent crimes, sends the wrong message,” she said.

Adeoye warned that the decision risks eroding public confidence in the justice system.

“The power of clemency must not be used in a way that makes ordinary Nigerians fear for their safety,” she added.