The Supreme Court has once again affirmed the death sentence imposed on Maryam Sanda for the killing of her husband, Bilyamin Bello, bringing an end to her latest attempt to overturn the conviction.
In a split decision of four to one delivered on Friday, the panel of justices ruled that the evidence presented during her trial was strong enough to sustain the verdict. Justice Moore Adumein, who delivered the lead judgment, held that the prosecution had successfully established Sanda’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Sanda was first convicted on January 27, 2020, by an Abuja High Court, which sentenced her to death by hanging for fatally stabbing her husband in their home in 2017. She has since spent more than six years in Suleja Prison.
Her case resurfaced in public discourse earlier this year when President Bola Tinubu reduced her sentence to 12 years as part of a presidential pardon package. The Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, explained that the clemency was granted on compassionate grounds, taking into account her conduct in prison and the welfare of her children.
However, the Supreme Court has now ruled that the executive action was improper since a final appeal on the conviction was still pending before the judiciary. The apex court maintained that the Court of Appeal acted correctly when it upheld the original death sentence.
With Friday’s judgment, the conviction and death sentence stand, as the court dismissed all issues raised by Sanda, declaring that her appeal lacked merit.
