The Supreme Court has affirmed Maryam Sanda’s death sentence for the murder of her husband, Bilyamin Mohammed Bello, rejecting the earlier presidential pardon that had temporarily spared her.
In a split 4–1 judgment delivered on Friday, the apex court held that the Court of Appeal was correct to uphold the trial court’s verdict. Justice Moore Adumein, delivering the lead judgment, said the prosecution had proven the case beyond reasonable doubt and criticized the clemency granted by President Bola Tinubu, describing it as improper since an appeal was still pending.
Sanda and three others were charged with culpable homicide. On January 27, 2020, she was convicted and sentenced to death by Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court. Her appeal to the Court of Appeal was dismissed in December 2020.
In October 2025, she was among 175 individuals granted presidential pardon. But following public outcry, her pardon was revoked, and the sentence was reduced to 12 years on grounds including “compassion, welfare of the children, good conduct, model prisoner behavior, and remorsefulness.”
