Supreme Court Reinstates Death Sentence for Maryam Sanda

The Supreme Court has reinstated the death sentence of Maryam Sanda, who was convicted of killing her husband, Bilyamin Bello, at their home in the Federal Capital Territory in 2017. The court ruled that it was inappropriate for the President to have reduced her sentence while her appeal was still pending.

Sanda, the daughter-in-law of a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, was initially sentenced to death by hanging by an Abuja High Court in January 2020. She had spent nearly seven years in Suleja Correctional Centre before President Bola Tinubu exercised clemency to reduce her sentence to 12 years in prison.

In a 4-1 split decision, the Supreme Court dismissed her appeal and emphasized that the prosecution had proven the case beyond reasonable doubt. Justice Moore Adumein, delivering the lead judgment, stated that the Court of Appeal was correct in affirming the trial court’s verdict.

The apex court also criticized the presidential intervention, noting that granting clemency in a homicide case with an appeal pending was improper. Maryam Sanda’s original death sentence has now been fully reinstated.