Maryam Sanda, sentenced to death in 2020 for the killing of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, has received a presidential pardon from President Bola Tinubu after spending six years and eight months at the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre.
In a statement released on Saturday by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency said, “Her family pleaded for her release, arguing that it was in the best interest of her two children. The plea was also anchored on her good conduct in jail, her remorse, and her embracement of a new lifestyle, demonstrating her commitment to being a model prisoner.”
The pardon is part of a larger decision by President Tinubu to grant clemency to 175 Nigerians and foreigners, including notable figures such as the late environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, Major General Mamman Vatsa, and other members of the “Ogoni Nine.”
“This marked one of the most expansive uses of the presidential prerogative of mercy, touching on high-profile historical cases,” the statement added.
The presidency noted that the decision followed recommendations from the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
Maryam Sanda’s case first gained public attention when Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High Court in Abuja convicted and sentenced her to death by hanging on January 27, 2020, ruling that she had fatally stabbed her husband at their home.
“She should reap what she has sown, for it has been said that ‘thou shall not kill’ and whoever kills in cold blood deserves death as his own reward,” Justice Halilu declared at the time.
Following her conviction, Sanda’s legal team filed an appeal on 20 grounds, questioning the evidence and alleging bias, but the Court of Appeal dismissed her appeal on December 3, 2020, affirming the conviction and death sentence.
“The circumstances surrounding the death can be the best proof of what is being alleged,” noted Justice Stephen Adah, reinforcing the lower court’s findings.
Police authorities later sought to have the Supreme Court uphold the sentence. Police counsel James Idachaba said, “We are satisfied with the findings of the trial and appeals court, and we are prepared to defend the law’s position at the Supreme Court,” highlighting the commitment to justice in the case.
The presidential pardon list, released on Saturday, is divided into six categories: pardoned individuals, posthumous pardons (including the Ogoni Nine), victims of the Ogoni Nine honoured, clemency beneficiaries, inmates recommended for reduced terms, and inmates on death row whose sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.
