By Nasir Abubakar The family of the late Bilyaminu Ahmed Bello has expressed deep pain and disappointment over the recent presidential pardo...
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By Nasir Abubakar
The family of the late Bilyaminu Ahmed Bello has expressed deep pain and disappointment over the recent presidential pardon granted to his convicted wife, Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for the premeditated murder of her husband.
In a strongly worded statement titled “When Prerogative of Mercy Inflicts Inexorable Pain”, signed by Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed, OFR (Dangaladiman Gwandu), and dated Monday, October 13, 2025, the family described the development as “the worst possible injustice any family could be made to go through for a loved one.”
The statement noted that while the family had deliberately refrained from public comments since the 2017 tragedy out of respect for the deceased’s young children and faith in the judicial process, the recent pardon has painfully reopened old wounds.
“To have Maryam Sanda walk the face of the earth again, free from any blemish for her heinous crime as if she had merely squashed an ant, is the worst possible injustice any family could be made to go through,” the statement read.
The family recalled that the FCT High Court, on January 27, 2020, found Maryam Sanda guilty of the cold-blooded murder of her husband. The verdict was upheld by both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court on December 4, 2020, and October 27, 2023, respectively. They said these rulings gave them “some closure” after years of grief and emotional turmoil.
Dr. Haliru Mohammed lamented that the decision to include Sanda among the 175 convicts granted clemency by the President was a grievous mistake that ignored the pain of the victim’s family and friends.
“Bilyaminu’s family is deeply hurt by this latest development, which we interpret as driven solely by the motivation to appease Maryam’s family members by way of extending mercy to a certified convicted murderer,” the statement added.
The family maintained that true justice rests with God, urging Nigerians to place faith in divine judgment.
“We take solace in the simple fact that, in such matters, the ultimate comprehensive justice resides purely with the Supreme Judge and our Creator, who will dispense this matter on the Day of Recompense,” it said.
They concluded by praying for the repose of the late Bilyaminu’s soul and for strength to continue bearing the loss.
“May Allah also be there at every turn of his children’s needs and raise them to be good, obedient Muslims and patriotic Nigerians,” the family prayed.
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