Supreme Court Upholds Maryam Sanda’s Death Sentence

The Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence handed to Maryam Sanda for the killing of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, reaffirming earlier judgments delivered by both the trial court and the Court of Appeal.

In a split decision of four to one, the apex court dismissed Sanda’s appeal, stressing that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. The lead judgment, delivered by Justice Moore Adumein, described the earlier conviction as sound and the sentence as properly grounded in law.

Court Says Clemency Was Wrongly Issued

Beyond affirming the conviction, the Supreme Court also declared that President Bola Tinubu acted outside constitutional bounds when he attempted to grant Sanda clemency while her appeal was still pending. According to the justices, the executive cannot interfere in a matter still under judicial consideration, particularly one involving culpable homicide.

Sanda was originally sentenced to death by an Abuja High Court on January 27, 2020, after being found guilty of fatally stabbing her husband during a dispute at their home in 2017.

UNIPORT student sentenced to death for girlfriend’s murder

Tinubu Later Reduced Her Sentence to 12 Years

Although she had spent about six years and eight months in the Suleja Correctional Centre, President Tinubu later moved to reduce her total sentence to 12 years on what the government described as “compassionate grounds.”

The Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), explained that Sanda was considered for clemency because of her behaviour in custody, describing her as a “model to other inmates” who had shown remorse and embraced rehabilitation.

Sanda’s conviction has remained one of the most closely followed homicide cases in recent years, drawing debates around domestic violence, criminal justice, and executive power. With the Supreme Court’s latest decision, the long-running legal battle appears to have reached its final point, even as questions linger over the constitutional limits of presidential pardons.