President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has granted presidential clemency to Maryam Sanda, the woman convicted and sentenced to death in 202...
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has granted presidential clemency to Maryam Sanda, the woman convicted and sentenced to death in 2020 for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, son of a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Haliru Bello.
Sanda, who had spent six years and eight months at the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre, was among 175 convicts and former convicts who benefited from the President’s act of mercy announced on Thursday.
According to a statement from the State House, President Tinubu’s decision followed the recommendation of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi (SAN).
The committee noted that Sanda’s clemency was granted based on her remorse, good conduct, and commitment to a reformed lifestyle while in custody. Her family had also made a plea for mercy, citing the welfare of her two young children as part of the humanitarian grounds for her release.
“She has shown genuine remorse, embraced a new way of life, and demonstrated a strong commitment to rehabilitation,” the committee’s report stated.
Sanda’s case attracted nationwide attention when she was convicted by an FCT High Court in January 2020 for the murder of her husband during a domestic altercation in their Abuja home in 2017. The court had sentenced her to death by hanging, a ruling that was upheld on appeal.
Her inclusion in President Tinubu’s clemency list marks one of the most high-profile pardons in recent Nigerian history, stirring fresh debates about justice, compassion, and the reformative purpose of imprisonment.
While some legal observers view the pardon as a gesture of mercy in line with global human rights principles, others argue that it raises questions about equal treatment under the law.
Speaking after presenting the committee’s report at the Council of State meeting chaired by President Tinubu, Attorney-General Fagbemi said the clemency exercise was guided by compassion, fairness, and a belief in second chances.
“The President’s decision reflects a justice system that not only punishes but also rehabilitates and restores,” Fagbemi said.
Sanda’s release brings closure to a tragic case that has remained a subject of public discussion for nearly a decade, marking a turning point in Nigeria’s approach to clemency and correctional justice.
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