President Tinubu Grants Clemency to Maryam Sanda in Expansive Pardon Exercise
In a major development that brings one of Nigeria's most publicized legal cases to a close, Maryam Sanda, who was convicted of killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, has been granted a presidential pardon. The release, authorized by President Bola Tinubu, comes after Sanda spent approximately six years and eight months incarcerated at the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre.
The announcement of her clemency was confirmed in an official statement released on Saturday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy. The Presidency cited two primary reasons for the decision:
Child Welfare: A direct appeal from her family centered on the best interests of her two young children.
Remorse and Conduct: Her noted "good conduct in jail, her remorse, and her embracement of a new lifestyle," demonstrating rehabilitation.
This act of mercy is part of a much wider exercise of the presidential prerogative of mercy, extending clemency to a total of 175 Nigerians and foreign nationals. The list includes historically significant names such as the late environmental rights activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Major General Mamman Vatsa, who received posthumous pardons.
The administration described this move as one of the most comprehensive uses of the prerogative of mercy to date, addressing both high-profile and historical cases. It was confirmed that the President's decision followed a rigorous review and formal recommendations from the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM), which is chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
A High-Profile Case Closed
The Maryam Sanda murder case captured national attention following the tragic death of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, in 2017.
Despite two subsequent appeals challenging the evidence and alleging bias, both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court affirmed the conviction and the death sentence. The clemency now overrides the judicial sentence, granting her immediate freedom. The full list of beneficiaries under the President's mercy program is categorized into groups including pardoned individuals, posthumous pardons, clemency beneficiaries, and those whose death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.
See some reactions on X following Sanda’s pardon below…
