The Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence imposed on Maryam Sanda, daughter‑in‑law of a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for the killing of her husband, Bilyamin Bello, in 2017.
In a split decision of four to one, a five‑member panel of the apex court reaffirmed the earlier judgment ordering her execution by hanging. The court dismissed Sanda’s appeal in its entirety, ruling that she failed to establish any grounds to overturn her conviction.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Moore Adumein held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. He described the Court of Appeal’s affirmation of the trial court’s verdict as “unassailable.”
The Supreme Court also faulted President Bola Tinubu’s earlier attempt to grant Sanda a pardon while her appeal was still pending, saying the head of the executive arm could not exercise such powers in an active culpable homicide case.
Sanda was convicted by an Abuja High Court on January 27, 2020, after being found guilty of fatally stabbing her husband at their home in the Maitama area of Abuja. She had spent more than six years in Suleja prison before President Tinubu reduced her sentence to 12 years as part of a recent round of presidential pardons.
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), said her inclusion in the clemency list was based on “compassionate grounds and in the best interest of the children.” He added that Sanda had demonstrated good conduct, embraced a new lifestyle, served as a model inmate and shown remorse.
With the Supreme Court’s ruling, the original death sentence handed down by the trial court remains in force.
