Supreme Court Upholds Maryam Sanda Death
By Wellington Jopelo
The Supreme Court today has reinstated the death sentence for Maryam Sanda, who was convicted of killing her husband, Bilyamin Bello.
The court overruled the clemency previously granted by President Bola Tinubu that had reduced her sentence to 12 years’ imprisonment.
Sanda, the daughter-in-law of a former PDP National Chairman, was originally convicted by an Abuja High Court on January 27, 2020, for fatally stabbing her husband at their Maitama home in 2017.
She was sentenced to death by hanging and spent more than six years at the Suleja Correctional Centre before the presidential pardon.
The Supreme Court, in a four-to-one split decision, dismissed her appeal and ruled that she failed to prove any error in the findings of the lower courts. “The prosecution proved the charge beyond reasonable doubt, and the Court of Appeal was right to affirm the conviction,” Justice Moore Adumein said in the lead judgment.
The apex court also criticised the executive’s intervention, stating that it was improper for clemency to be granted in a homicide case while an appeal was still pending.
Maryam Sanda’s death sentence now stands as originally imposed by the trial court, nullifying the reduction granted under the presidential pardon.
The presidential clemency had been justified on compassionate grounds, particularly for the children, and cited her good conduct, model behaviour, and apparent remorse.
Attorney-General Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) had defended the pardon, saying it was in the best interest of the children.
However, the Supreme Court rejected these arguments, emphasizing that the legal process must not be undermined by executive intervention.
The decision marks the final chapter in a case that has drawn national attention for years due to its high-profile nature and the involvement of prominent families.
The apex court’s ruling reinforces the principle that clemency cannot override judicial findings while legal appeals are still active.
Legal experts say the ruling could set a precedent for how presidential clemency is applied in serious criminal cases in Nigeria.
Maryam Sanda is now expected to remain in custody as arrangements are made to enforce the death sentence.