President Bola Tinubu has granted clemency to Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello. Sanda, 37, regained freedom after spending six years in prison, following pleas from her family and reports of good conduct
Presidential Pardon: Maryam Sanda, Sentenced to Death for Killing Husband, Regains Freedom After Six Years
ABUJA, Nigeria — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has granted clemency to Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for the murder of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, during a domestic dispute.
The decision, announced on Saturday by Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, followed a review of multiple pleas from Sanda’s family and reports of her good behaviour while in custody.
According to Onanuga, the pardon was granted “in the best interest of her two children” and in recognition of her “remorse and embrace of a new lifestyle” during her six years and eight months at the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre.
“President Tinubu granted clemency to most of them based on reports that the convicts had shown remorse and good conduct,” Onanuga said. “He forgave some due to old age, acquisition of vocational skills, or enrolment in the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).”
Newsheadline247 had reported that Sanda, now 37, was convicted of culpable homicide by Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, who found her guilty of fatally stabbing her husband with a kitchen knife in January 2020.
Justice Halilu held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, sentencing her to death by hanging — a verdict that drew national attention due to the prominence of the victim’s family.
The late Bilyaminu Bello was the son of Haliru Bello, a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Sanda’s prosecution, which began in 2017, was fraught with multiple bail applications, adjournments, and the withdrawal of her defence lawyer. Witnesses testified that she had attempted to stab her husband on several occasions before his death, though Sanda maintained that it was an accident following a heated domestic quarrel.
After her conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeal in December 2020, Sanda remained on death row until her inclusion in the President’s list of 175 convicts and ex-convicts granted pardon or sentence reduction.
The comprehensive clemency list, released after Thursday’s National Council of State meeting, also included illegal miners, remorseful drug offenders, white-collar criminals, and foreigners.
Sanda’s release has sparked a wave of public reactions, with many viewing it as a mix of presidential compassion and controversy, given the high-profile nature of her case.
