President Tinubu Removes Maryam Sanda From The Presidential Pardon List

Who is Maryam Sanda? 

What are the Issues surrounding her marital home?

Maryam Sanda is a Nigerian woman who in January 2020 was convicted by a Federal Capital Territory High Court of culpable homicide for the stabbing death of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, at their residence in Abuja.

However, the court sentenced her to death by hanging. After the incident, legal actions ensued, she was remanded, prosecuted, tried and found guilty; she has since spent time in the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre awaiting the outcome of her appeals and any executive mercy.

Legal action after her husband’s death

Following the death of Bilyaminu Bello in 2017, the case moved through the criminal justice system. Maryam Sanda was arraigned on two counts of culpable homicide. In January 2020, the court found her guilty and sentenced her to death by hanging.

Her father-in-law, Alhaji Ahmed Isa, had earlier sought to withdraw the prosecution on humanitarian grounds, writing to the police and court in 2019 expressing forgiveness and requesting clemency on behalf of his grandchildren. Despite these efforts, the conviction stood and the death-sentence entered the final list of legal consequences.

Why did President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remove her from the presidential pardon list

Initially, Maryam Sanda was reported among those to be granted clemency under the President Bola Tinubu’s prerogative of mercy, the list of 175 benefitted included her, based on claims of good conduct in prison, remorse, and pleas by her family emphasizing her two children.

However, due to widespread public backlash and concerns about the severity of the crime, the presidency reviewed the list. A statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed that after consultations with the Council of State and public opinion, “certain persons convicted of serious crimes such as kidnapping, drug‐related offences … human trafficking, fraud, unlawful possession of firearms/arms dealing, etc., were deleted from the list.”

Consequently, Maryam Sanda was removed from the pardoned list and her sentence was instead commuted from the death penalty to 12 years’ imprisonment, citing compassionate grounds, good conduct, remorse, new lifestyle and best interest of children.

What Are People Saying?

Criticism from the victim’s family and public:

The Bello family described the initial clemency grant as “the worst possible injustice any family could endure.” They argued that “to have Maryam Sanda walk free as though she merely squashed an ant is unbearable.”

Some public commentators said the pardon undermined the deterrence function of the justice system and might erode victims’ confidence in justice.

Defence arguments and calls for mercy,

On the other hand, supporters of clemency pointed to her father‐in‐law’s pleas: “I have forgiven Maryam … If she is killed, who will take care of her two children?” he said.

They emphasised her remorse, good behaviour and the trauma young children may suffer if left motherless. The presidency had also signalled that the exercise would reflect “justice with compassion and the belief that justice must not only punish, but also reform and redeem.”

In summary, Maryam Sanda, initially sentenced to death for the murder of her husband, was placed on a pardon list by President Tinubu but, amid public outcry and considerations of the gravity of the offence, had her pardon revoked and her sentence commuted instead to 12 years in prison under specified mitigating conditions.

The entire episode underscores the tension between mercy and accountability in the exercise of presidential clemency: while compassion and rehabilitation may justify leniency in some cases, public confidence in the justice system and the rights of victims also demand that serious crimes be treated with due weight. Ultimately, the decision reflects a recalibration of this balance by the presidency in response to societal concerns.

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