Supreme Court upholds Maryam Sanda’s death sentence, overrules Tinubu’s pardon
The Supreme Court of Nigeria has upheld the death sentence imposed on Maryam Sanda, who was convicted of killing her husband, Bilyamin Bello.
She was found guilty of fatally stabbing Bello at their Maitama home in 2017 by an Abuja High Court, on January 27, 2020, and later sentenced to death by hanging.
After spending about six years and eight months at the Suleja Correctional Centre, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu granted her a presidential pardon.
Following a backlash which met the President’s decision to pardon her and other high-profile convicts, Tinubu reviewed his decision and commuted her death sentence to a 12-year jail term, including the 6 years already served.
The Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), had said that her pardon was granted “on compassionate grounds and in the best interest of the children,” stating that her record of “good conduct, new lifestyle, model behaviour and remorsefulness” justified her pardon.
However, the Surpreme Court in its judgement on Friday reinstated the original death sentence, overruling the presidential pardon, while dismissing her entire appeal.
The lead judgment, delivered by Justice Moore Adumein held that the prosecution proved the charge beyond reasonable doubt, stating that the Appeal Court was right to have affirmed the earlier conviction by the trial court, and adding that it was inappropriate for the Executive to grant clemency in a homicide case which appeal was still pending.
