The Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence handed to Maryam Sanda for the 2017 murder of her husband, Bilyamin Bello. Sanda was originally sentenced to death by hanging in January 2020 by an Abuja High Court, a decision that was later affirmed by the Court of Appeal. Although she had spent over six years in Suleja prison, President Bola Tinubu recently commuted her sentence to 12 years on compassionate grounds, citing her good conduct, remorse, and the welfare of her children.
However, in a split decision of four to one, the Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the presidential pardon was improper, since an appeal was still pending. Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Moore Adumein held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and that the lower courts were right to affirm her conviction. The apex court dismissed Sanda’s appeal for lacking merit.
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