The Supreme Court has upheld the original death sentence handed to Maryam Sanda for killing her husband, Bilyamin Bello, reversing the earlier presidential clemency that had reduced her punishment.
Sanda was convicted on January 27, 2020, after an Abuja High Court ruled that she fatally stabbed Bello at their Maitama residence in 2017. She was sentenced to death by hanging and spent over six years at the Suleja Correctional Centre before President Bola Tinubu granted her a reduced 12-year sentence, citing compassion, her conduct in custody, and the welfare of her children.
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However, in a split judgment of 4–1, the Supreme Court on Friday dismissed her appeal and reinstated the death penalty. Justice Moore Adumein, who delivered the lead ruling, said Sanda failed to prove that the lower courts erred in their findings. He affirmed that the prosecution had convincingly established her guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The apex court also criticised the presidential pardon, stating that it was inappropriate for the Executive to grant clemency while the case was still under judicial consideration.
With this ruling, the initial death sentence pronounced in 2020 is now fully restored.
