Diya others Got Clemency not Pardon from Abdulsalami

An online new site today generated controversy by saying that the duo of Lt. Gen. Oladipo Diya and Major Gen. Andulkareem Adisa had already gotten a pardon from General Abdulsalami making the pardon granted them by the National Council of State a factual error, but NaijaPundit's investigations has shown that what they got from Abdulsalami was a clemency not a pardon.

A clemency is legally different from a pardon and frees a convicted person from prison sentence or prevent an accused from going to jail. A pardon on the other hand is a full and total clearance from any conviction and treats the conviction as though it never happened. You give clemency to a person who is serving or about to serve his sentence. You give pardons to anybody.

General Abdulsalami it would be recalled gave a clemency to Diya and his co-accused to enable his government free them after the death of Abacha. If you look at the decree he signed it specifically says 'clemency' and not pardon.

The difference in the meanings and implications if clemency and pardon is cleared up by the dictionary as follows;

clem·en·cy:
a : disposition to be merciful and especially to moderate the severity of punishment due
b : an act or instance of leniency

par·don:
: the excusing of an offense without exacting a penalty
or
a : a release from the legal penalties of an offense
b : an official warrant of remission of penalty

Though no source to this info,but atleast my 2 ogas at the top ( Abati and Okupe) now hv a backn 2 defend there Oga at the Top...