Residents of Vatsa community in Niger state on Friday appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to use his powers and grant their son, late General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, a state pardon on the occasion of the June 12 Democracy Day.
A spokesperson of the community, Isah Aliyu Vatsa, who spoke with journalists in Minna, Niger state capital, said granting General Vatsa a state pardon by the president will heal the pains his execution had inflicted on the community 35 years ago.
General Vatsa was executed alongside nine other military officers for alleged involvement in a coup to overthrow former Military President, Ibrahim Babangida, in 1986.
“Every March 5 is always a dark day for the entire Vatsa community and the immediate family. We mark the day with sadness and sorrow. We know that something was taken away from the family and the entire community,” he said.
