In a significant ruling on Friday, the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence by hanging originally passed on Maryam Sanda for the 2017 murder of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello. This landmark judgment effectively overturned the pardon previously granted to Sanda by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
President Tinubu had previously reduced Sanda’s death sentence to 12 years’ imprisonment on “compassionate grounds” in October 2025.
However, in a four-to-one split decision, the Apex Court dismissed the appeal filed by Sanda, ruling that the prosecution had proved the case of culpable homicide beyond a reasonable doubt.
Justice Moore Adumein, who delivered the lead judgment, held that the Court of Appeal, Abuja, was correct in upholding the initial death sentence handed down by the Federal Capital Territory High Court in 2020.
Crucially, Justice Adumein addressed the legal conundrum created by the Presidential pardon, stating: “It was wrong for the Executive to seek to exercise its power of pardon over a case of culpable homicide, in respect of which an appeal was pending.”
The court resolved all issues raised in her appeal against her, declaring the entire appeal to be without merit.
The judgment effectively nullifies the compassionate reduction of sentence granted by the Federal Government, reinstating the original conviction for the brutal killing of Bilyaminu Bello during a domestic dispute.
Maryam Sanda is expected to return to the status of a convict awaiting execution.
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