The family of the late Bilyaminu Bello has strongly criticised President Bola Tinubu’s decision to grant presidential pardon to Maryam Sanda, who was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of her husband.
Describing the development as “the worst possible injustice any family could experience,” the family said the move had reopened deep emotional wounds that were beginning to heal.
In a statement issued on Monday by Dr. Bello Mohammed on behalf of the family, they expressed dismay that Sanda was among the 175 inmates recently pardoned under the Prerogative of Mercy policy.
“To have Maryam Sanda walk the face of the earth again, free from any blemish for her heinous crime as if she had merely squashed an ant, is the worst possible injustice any family could be made to go through for a loved one,” the statement read.
Sanda was convicted by the Federal Capital Territory High Court on January 27, 2020, for stabbing her husband to death in their Abuja home on November 19, 2017.
The conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeal in December 2020 and later affirmed by the Supreme Court in October 2023.
The family said those judgments provided some sense of closure after years of grief.
“Satisfied that justice had finally been served, we took solace in the court’s decision and moved on, having painfully come to terms with our loss. This latest turn of events, however, has reopened our healing wounds,” the statement added.
They also faulted the Federal Government’s decision to grant clemency despite the gravity of Sanda’s crime and her lack of remorse.
“We interpret this decision as one primarily driven by the desire to appease Maryam’s family, while ignoring the inexorable pain now inflicted on Bilyaminu’s grieving family, friends, and associates,” the family stated.
They further accused the government of undermining the judicial process and disregarding the feelings of victims’ families, saying the decision had “dehumanised” their son.
“It is disheartening that after such a painstaking judicial process, the government chose to grant clemency to a convicted murderer. This action trivialises the sanctity of human life and the principle of justice,” the statement said.
The family also criticised the reasoning behind Sanda’s pardon, said to have been based on appeals from her relatives and the need for compassion.
“The alleged grounds for Maryam Sanda’s release were predicated on appeals from her family. But let’s not forget that Bilyaminu was also our cherished family member, deeply loved and mourned. Maryam deprived her own children of a father’s love, yet she is now walking free,” they said.
Expressing deep disappointment, the family said they would leave the matter to divine justice.
“We take solace in the fact that ultimate justice lies with the Supreme Judge, our Creator, who will dispense this matter on the Day of Recompense,” they concluded.
President Tinubu had last week approved the release of 175 inmates serving various jail terms across Nigeria on humanitarian grounds under the Prerogative of Mercy initiative. Maryam Sanda was among those freed.
