Abuja, Nigeria
President Bola Tinubu has granted pardon to Maryam Sanda , the woman sentenced to death in 2020 for the culpable homicide of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello .
Sanda, who was convicted of stabbing Bello—the son of a former National Chairman of the PDP, Mr. Haliru Bello—served six years and eight months at the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre before her release.
In a high-profile case that spanned nearly three years, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, presided over by Justice Yusuf Halilu, sentenced Maryam Sanda to death by hanging in January 2020.
The decision to grant the pardon was made following an earnest request from Sanda’s family and was reportedly based on several mitigating factors:
President Tinubu’s pardon spares Sanda the death penalty upheld by the court, allowing her immediate release from detention.
Several conditions, including the presence of a parent for the couple’s children,were said to be part of the reasons President Tinubu so waded into the highly controversial case of culpable homicide.
