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The family of the late Bilyaminu Ahmed Bello has expressed disappointment over the presidential pardon granted to Maryam Sanda, who was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of her husband.
In a statement released on Monday, signed by Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed (Dangaladiman Gwandu) on behalf of the family, the relatives of the deceased described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to grant Sanda clemency as a “cruel reopening of healing wounds” and a grave injustice to the memory of their loved one.
Bilyaminu’s family said they are deeply hurt by Maryam’s release, describing it as an attempt to appease her family while disregarding the lasting anguish inflicted on the victim’s relatives, friends, and associates.
Sanda, 37, was among 175 convicted persons granted presidential pardon and clemency last Thursday under the Prerogative of Mercy powers.
The list, released by Presidential Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, included individuals serving sentences for various crimes — from illegal mining and drug offences to capital offences such as murder.
On the list are illegal miners, white-collar convicts, drug offenders, foreigners, Major General Mamman Vatsa, Major Akubo, Professor Magaji Garba, as well as capital offenders such as Maryam Sanda, Ken Saro Wiwa, and the other Ogoni eight.
The move followed the Council of State’s endorsement of recommendations by the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
Onanuga said the pardons were based on reports indicating that the convicts had shown remorse and good conduct.
The presidential pardon has sparked public outrage and renewed debate about the fairness and moral implications of Nigeria’s Prerogative of Mercy process.
Maryam Sanda’s conviction for the culpable homicide of her husband, whom she stabbed to death during a domestic dispute in their Abuja home, remains one of Nigeria’s most high-profile cases of domestic violence and spousal murder.
Sanda was arraigned before an FCT High Court, where she maintained her innocence throughout the trial.
After a protracted legal battle that drew nationwide attention, Justice Yusuf Halilu, in January 2020, found her guilty of killing her husband and sentenced her to death by hanging. She had spent six years and eight months at the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre.
‘Her release, worst injustice for any family’
Bilyaminu’s family said Sanda’s release represents “the worst possible injustice any family could be made to go through for a loved one,” describing her as a “certified convicted murderer” who had shown no remorse throughout her trial and appeals.
Out of respect for the two innocent children left behind, Bilyaminu’s family said they had chosen silence since the tragic incident of November 19, 2017, despite several false narratives allegedly sponsored by Sanda’s camp.
They stated that they had placed their faith in the judicial system, which upheld the FCT High Court’s death sentence through rulings by the Court of Appeal in December 2020 and the Supreme Court in October 2023.
The family noted that those judgments offered a measure of closure, even though Sanda never showed remorse.
However, they said the recent presidential pardon has painfully reopened old wounds, describing Sanda’s release as a grave injustice that makes the victim’s life seem insignificant.
The family also faulted the rationale behind the pardon, allegedly influenced by appeals from Sanda’s family, stressing that Bilyaminu was equally a beloved son, friend, and associate who was “grievously denied the opportunity to live and raise his children.”
They said they sought solace in divine justice, expressing faith that “ultimate justice resides with the Supreme Judge and Creator,” and prayed for the repose of Bilyaminu’s soul and strength for his children and loved ones to bear the pain of his loss.
The full statement from Bilyaminu’s family…
When Prerogative of Mercy Inflicts Inexorable Pain
In exercise of his discretionary power and authority to grant clemency under the Prerogative of Mercy principle, His Excellency, Mr. President, recently granted Presidential pardons to a total of 175 convicted persons serving jail sentences for various criminal offences. Some of those on the list included individuals on death row, and others who were pardoned posthumously.
One name that stood out for us as a family is that of Maryam Sanda, a lady convicted and sentenced to death by the FCT High Court on Monday, 27th January 2020, for the premeditated and cold-blooded murder of her husband and beloved family member of ours, the late Bilyaminu Ahmed Bello.
Considering the delicately sensitive nature of the situation involving two innocent children of the deceased victim, the family has deliberately refrained from making any public statement or comments since the unfortunate, sad incident, which occurred on that fateful night of Sunday, 19th November 2017. This was despite several sponsored write-ups from the accused perpetrator’s camp containing series of falsehoods against the deceased, without factoring the children’s best interest. We, instead, placed our trust and abiding confidence in the nation’s judicial process to run its full course and deliver justice for the deceased victim and his family.
The appeals process reaffirmed the FCT High Court’s death sentence through the Federal Court of Appeal and Supreme Court judgements of Friday, 4th December 2020, and Friday, 27th October 2023, respectively. 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 even for a fleeting moment throughout the saga, the grieving family took solace in the judgements and moved on, having painfully come to terms with the fate that life had thrust upon one of our own.
This latest turn of events, coming just a few years after the dastardly crime that cruelly cut short Bilyaminu’s life has, however, expectedly reopened our healing wounds. 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.
We are, therefore, compelled to issue this formal statement to humanise Bilyaminu, who is now suddenly being made to appear as if he is just another faceless anonymous individual in the long line of victims of crimes in the country: a mere statistical figure.
The alleged grounds for Maryam Sanda’s release were predicated on appeals from her family, amongst other considerations. It is pertinent to stress that Bilyaminu was also our cherished family member who was profoundly loved and deeply mourned by his teeming relations, friends and close associates following the unfortunate incident that resulted in his gruesome murder eight years ago. Maryam, let’s not forget, had earlier on denied the same children now used to elicit sympathy and secure her release, the opportunity to know what a father’s love and care means.
Bilyaminu’s family is deeply hurt by this latest development, which we interpret as primarily driven by the sole motivation for appeasing Maryam’s family members by way of extending mercy to a certified convicted murderer, while at the same time overlooking or conveniently ignoring the corresponding inexorable pain that has now been inflicted on the victim’s teeming grieving family members, friends and associates arising from the action.
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 where no one can be at liberty to intercede on behalf of anyone else.
We beseech Almighty Allah SWT to grant the soul of our dear Bilyaminu eternal rest and grant us the fortitude to continue to bear his sad loss even in the light of this latest development. May Allah also be there at every turn of his children’s needs and raise them to be good obedient Muslims and patriotic Nigerians, Ameen.
Lawyers react
Two lawyers have expressed differing opinions on the presidential pardon granted. Ebuka Nwaeze, Esq., stated that the power of pardon lies solely within the discretion of the president or a state governor, depending on the case, and does not legally require the consent or input of the victim of the offence.
“The moral consequences of how the president exercises that power are for the voting public to decide,” he said.
However, E.M.D. Umukoro, Esq. argued that while the law does not explicitly mandate consultation with victims before granting a pardon, those exercising such powers should consider the victims’ interests and feelings.
“The framers of the law expected the exercise of discretionary powers to be guided by purpose, sincerity, impartiality, justice, and truth, ensuring that victims are neither humiliated nor disregarded,” he said.
Umukoro further stressed that the president should have provided justification for the clemency, such as new evidence or errors in the original trial, to show that the pardon was not arbitrary.
It is important for the victims of these crimes that certain explanations are given; otherwise, it could be seen as a miscarriage of justice, a charade, and a disregard for the rule of law,” he added.
No release date yet – NCoS
Meanwhile, speaking to Daily Trust, the spokesman of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Umar Abubakar, said the service was yet to receive the list of inmates to be released.
“It was a presidential pronouncement, but we have not received the official communication yet,” he said, adding that “sometimes, it takes time.”
He, however, promised to our reporter when his office officially receives the list.
However, a source who spoke with Daily Trust last night stated the procedure for release of beneficiaries of such pardon. He said following the pronouncement, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation will write to the Minister of Interior, who will thereafter give a directive to the Controller-General of Corrections on the issue.
He said the Controller-General of Corrections will then disseminate information across custodial centres in the country, directing them to check and take action. The source confirmed that this has not yet been done.
