The family of the late Bilyaminu Bello has strongly condemned the presidential pardon granted to his wife, Maryam Sanda, who was convicted and sentenced to death for his murder, describing the move as “the worst possible injustice any family could be made to go through.”
In a statement signed by Dr. Bello Mohammed on behalf of the family, the late Bello’s relatives expressed deep shock and pain over the decision by President Bola Tinubu to include Sanda 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.
The family said the decision had reopened painful wounds that had barely begun to heal since Sanda’s conviction, describing her as “a convicted murderer who has shown no remorse even for a fleeting moment.”
Sanda was convicted by an FCT High Court on January 27, 2020, for the premeditated killing of her husband at their Abuja residence on November 19, 2017. Her conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeal in December 2020 and later affirmed by the Supreme Court on October 27, 2023, marking the end of a prolonged legal process that the family said brought them a measure of closure.
“Satisfied that justice had finally been served, the judgment provided some closure of sorts in the circumstance, if ever there could be one. Although the perpetrator had shown no remorse, the grieving family took solace in the judgments and moved on, having painfully come to terms with the fate that life had thrust upon one of our own,” the family stated.
They criticised the Federal Government for granting clemency “primarily to appease Maryam’s family”, while ignoring the anguish of the victim’s loved ones.
“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 now inflicted on the victim’s grieving family, friends and associates.”
The family said the pardon undermines the judicial process and sends a dangerous message that justice can be undone through political influence.
They also questioned the grounds of appeal that led to Sanda’s release, stressing that the same children cited for sympathy in her clemency were deprived of their father’s love and care when she killed him.
“Maryam had earlier denied the same children now used to elicit sympathy and secure her release the opportunity to know what a father’s love and care mean,” the statement noted.
Concluding, the Bello family said they would take solace in divine justice.
“We take solace in the simple fact that in such matters, the ultimate comprehensive justice resides purely with the Supreme Judge and our Creator, who will dispense this matter on the Day of Recompense,” the family said.
President Tinubu, last week, approved the release of 175 inmates across Nigeria under the Prerogative of Mercy policy, which allows clemency on humanitarian grounds. Maryam Sanda was among those pardoned.
