The Supreme Court has reaffirmed the death sentence against Maryam Sanda, daughter-in-law of a former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman, for culpable homicide.
In a 4-1 split decision, a five-member panel of justices upheld the earlier ruling ordering her execution by hanging.
The apex court dismissed her appeal, ruling that her arguments to overturn the conviction lacked merit.
Apex Court Confirms Guilt
Justice Moore Adumein, delivering the lead judgment, stated that the prosecution had proven Maryam Sanda’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The court also ruled that the Court of Appeal’s earlier decision, which upheld the trial court’s sentence, was correct and unassailable.
The Supreme Court further emphasised that it was inappropriate for President Bola Tinubu, as head of the executive, to exercise his pardon powers on a culpable homicide case while an appeal was pending.
Background of the Case
Maryam Sanda was sentenced to death by an Abuja High Court on January 27, 2020, for stabbing her husband, Bilyamin Bello, to death at their Abuja residence in 2017. She spent nearly seven years at Suleja Prison.
Despite the death sentence reaffirmation, President Tinubu exercised executive clemency to reduce her sentence to 12 years.
Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), explained the pardon was granted on “compassionate grounds and in the best interest of the children.”
Fagbemi also noted that Sanda’s “good conduct, remorsefulness, and reformed lifestyle” contributed to her clemency.