Abuja, Nigeria – The family of the late Bilyaminu Bello has fiercely condemned the presidential pardon granted to his wife, Maryam Sanda, who was convicted and sentenced to death for his 2017 murder.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Dr. Bello Mohammed released a statement on Monday, describing President Bola Tinubu’s decision as “the worst possible injustice any family could be made to go through.”
Sanda was recently included among 175 inmates pardoned by President Tinubu under the Prerogative of Mercy principle.
A ‘Heinous Crime’ Without Remorse
The family stated that the decision has “reopened painful wounds that had barely healed.”
“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 FCT High Court on January 27, 2020, for the premeditated and cold-blooded murder of her husband. Her conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeal in December 2020 and affirmed by the Supreme Court on October 27, 2023.
The family noted that they had found “some closure” after the painstaking judicial process, as Sanda “had shown no remorse, even for a fleeting moment throughout the saga.”
Undermining Justice
The family expressed deep disappointment that the Federal Government chose to extend clemency, allegedly following “appeals from her family.”
“We interpret this decision as primarily driven by the sole motivation for appeasing Maryam’s family members by way of extending mercy to a certified convicted murderer. At the same time, it conveniently ignored the corresponding inexorable pain that has now been inflicted on the victim’s grieving family, friends and associates,” the family added.
They further accused the government of undermining the judicial process, stating the decision has “dehumanised” their son and reduced him to a mere statistic.
The family also touched on the purported grounds for Sanda’s release, noting that she had already deprived her own children of their father’s love and care.
Maryam Sanda was convicted in 2020 for fatally stabbing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, at their Abuja home on November 19, 2017.
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