By Ademuyiwa Balikis
A former spokesperson for the Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council in the Southeast, Dr. Josef Onoh, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s decision to grant presidential pardon to Maryam Sanda, who was convicted and sentenced to death in 2020 for the murder of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello.
Onoh described the president’s action as morally wrong, insisting that it undermines the principles of justice and could weaken public confidence in Nigeria’s judicial system.
He said while the Constitution empowers the president to exercise the Prerogative of Mercy, such powers must be guided by fairness, justice, and the moral weight of the crimes involved.
“The pardon of Maryam Sanda, who was convicted for the brutal killing of her husband, is morally wrong and sends a disturbing message to the society,” Onoh said. “There are many less privileged Nigerians who have been imprisoned for minor offences and have not been considered for pardon. Why should mercy be extended to someone convicted of such a violent act?”
Onoh further urged President Tinubu to review and reverse the clemency granted to Sanda, arguing that the act of mercy in this case amounts to a distortion of justice.
Maryam Sanda was convicted by the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja in January 2020 after being found guilty of stabbing her husband to death during a domestic dispute. She was sentenced to death by hanging, a verdict later upheld by both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
However, after serving about six years and eight months at the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre, she was among 175 convicts who benefited from the latest round of presidential clemency.
According to the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, Sanda’s pardon was recommended based on her good conduct, remorse, and the welfare of her two children, who have been under family care since her incarceration.
But Onoh dismissed those justifications as weak, insisting that compassion should be shown to victims’ families and to inmates convicted of minor, non violent crimes instead.
“The essence of justice is balance,” he stated. “Granting mercy to a convicted murderer diminishes the pain of the victim’s family and sends a wrong signal that crime can be excused through influence or emotion.”
