By Ghazali Ibrahim
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commuted the death sentence of Maryam Sanda, who was convicted in 2020 for killing her husband, after serving over six years behind bars.
Sanda was sentenced to death by hanging in January 2020 after she was found guilty of stabbing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, to death in a domestic dispute in 2017.
The conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeal, and she remained in custody at the Suleja Correctional Centre for six years and eight months.
Her sentence was reviewed under the presidential prerogative of mercy, which the presidency says was influenced by her good conduct, remorse, and the need to care for her two children.
However, the move has sparked outrage. The family of the late Bilyaminu described the decision as “the worst form of injustice,” saying it undermines the pain of victims and sends a wrong signal about accountability.
In a latest development, the presidency has reviewed the clemency grants to Sanda before and therefore convicts her for extra six years in prison making the total of twelve years as a punishment for her offence.
Human rights advocates and legal experts have called for greater transparency in presidential pardons, warning that clemency in violent crime cases without broad consultation may erode public confidence in the justice system.
