S’Court upholds Maryam Sanda’s death sentence, overrules Tinubu’s clemency

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the death sentence imposed on Maryam Sanda, daughter-in-law of a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, over the killing of her husband, Bilyamin Bello.

Sanda was convicted on January 27, 2020, by an Abuja High Court, which found her guilty of fatally stabbing Bello at their Maitama home in 2017.

She was subsequently sentenced to death by hanging.

She had spent about six years and eight months at the Suleja Correctional Centre before President Bola Tinubu granted her clemency, reducing the sentence to 12 years’ imprisonment.

The Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), later defended her inclusion in the presidential pardon, saying it was granted “on compassionate grounds and in the best interest of the children,” adding that her record of “good conduct, new lifestyle, model behaviour and remorsefulness” formed part of the justification.

However, in a split decision of four to one, a five-member panel of the apex court on Friday reinstated the original death sentence.

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The court dismissed her appeal in its entirety, ruling that she failed to show any error in the concurrent findings of the lower courts.

Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Moore Adumein held that the prosecution proved the charge beyond reasonable doubt and that the Court of Appeal was right to affirm the conviction.

The Supreme Court also faulted Tinubu’s intervention, ruling that it was inappropriate for the Executive to grant clemency in a homicide case while an appeal was still pending.

With the decision, the death sentence earlier handed down by the trial court stands.