The Supreme Court on Friday reaffirmed the death sentence passed on Maryam Sanda for the murder of her husband, Bilyamin Bello, nullifying the presidential clemency earlier granted to her by President Bola Tinubu.
Sanda was convicted in January 2020 by an Abuja High Court, which ruled that she fatally stabbed Bello during a domestic dispute at their Maitama residence in 2017. The court sentenced her to death by hanging after finding overwhelming evidence of culpable homicide.
She remained in custody for more than six years until President Tinubu commuted her sentence to 12 years’ imprisonment, a move the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), said was motivated by compassion and concerns for Sanda’s young children. Fagbemi also cited her “remorse, good conduct and positive transformation” while in detention as reasons for the clemency.
However, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court, in a 4–1 majority judgment, overturned the presidential intervention and upheld the initial death sentence. The apex court dismissed Sanda’s appeal, ruling that she failed to discredit the concurrent findings that established she killed her husband.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Moore Adumein held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and that the Court of Appeal acted correctly in sustaining the conviction. He added that the President’s decision to grant clemency while the case was still under judicial consideration was “inappropriate” and undermined due process.
With the ruling, the original death sentence imposed by the trial court remains in force.
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