The Supreme Court has set aside the presidential pardon granted to Abuja-based housewife, Maryam Sanda, who was convicted in 2020 and sentenced to death by hanging for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, during a domestic dispute.
President Bola Tinubu had earlier reduced her sentence to 12 years’ imprisonment on compassionate grounds. However, in a landmark judgment delivered on Friday, the Supreme Court—by a split decision of four to one—upheld the original death sentence affirmed by the Court of Appeal.
The apex court dismissed Sanda’s appeal in its entirety, ruling that it lacked merit.
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In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Moore Adumein, the court held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, and that both the trial court and the Court of Appeal were right in convicting and sentencing her.
Justice Adumein further ruled that it was improper for the Executive to grant a pardon in a case of culpable homicide while an appeal was still pending, describing such action as inconsistent with legal procedure.