Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, has been granted a presidential pardon by President Bola Tinubu after serving over six years at the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre.
The announcement was made on Saturday through a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The presidency explained that the decision came after her family appealed for her release, citing her good behavior in prison, remorse, and transformation during her years in custody.Her pardon was among a broad list of 175 individuals granted clemency, which included both Nigerians and foreigners.
The list also featured posthumous pardons for the late environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, Major General Mamman Vatsa, and other members of the “Ogoni Nine.”
According to the presidency, the decision followed the recommendation of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, led by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
Sanda’s case drew national attention in 2020 when Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High Court convicted her for fatally stabbing her husband in their Abuja home.
After her conviction, she appealed the ruling on 20 grounds, arguing that the judgment was unfair. However, the Court of Appeal upheld the verdict in December 2020, affirming the death sentence.
The federal government’s new pardon list, released on Saturday, was divided into six groups: individuals granted full pardons, posthumous pardons, clemency recipients, those recommended for reduced prison terms, and inmates whose death sentences were changed to life imprisonment.
Maryam Sanda’s release marks the end of one of Nigeria’s most widely followed criminal cases in recent years.