The family of the late Bilyaminu Bello has strongly condemned President Bola Tinubu’s decision to grant a presidential pardon to Maryam Sanda, who was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of her husband.
In a statement released on Monday and signed by Dr. Bello Mohammed on behalf of the family, the Bellos described the move as “the worst possible injustice any family could be made to go through.”
The family expressed deep pain that Sanda, who was convicted on January 27, 2020, by an FCT High Court—a judgment upheld by the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court—was among the 175 inmates recently pardoned by President Tinubu 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 face,” the statement read.
The family lamented that the pardon had reopened emotional wounds that had barely begun to heal, accusing the Federal Government of “undermining the judicial process and disregarding the feelings of the deceased’s loved ones.”
They further alleged that the clemency was “primarily driven by the motivation to appease Maryam’s family members” while ignoring the endless grief of Bilyaminu’s relatives and friends.
Rejecting arguments that the pardon was for the sake of Sanda’s children, the family insisted she had already denied them their father’s love and care.
Despite their pain, the family stated that they would take solace in divine justice, saying, “In such matters, the ultimate comprehensive justice resides with the Supreme Judge and our Creator, who will dispense this matter on the Day of Recompense.”
Maryam Sanda was convicted in 2020 for stabbing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, to death at their Abuja residence on November 19, 2017.
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