The Supreme Court of Nigeria delivered a stunning judgment on Friday, reinstating the death sentence by hanging for Abuja-based housewife, Maryam Sanda, in a direct reversal of a recent presidential act of clemency.
Sanda was initially sentenced to death in 2020 over the death of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, which occurred during a domestic dispute. The case had drawn significant national attention, and the Court of Appeal, Abuja, had previously upheld the death sentence originally handed down by a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The legal saga took a dramatic turn when President Bola Tinubu intervened. The presidency had confirmed that “President Tinubu recently reduced Sanda’s sentence to 12 years’ imprisonment on compassionate grounds.”
However, the Apex Court effectively overrode this action. In a four-to-one split decision, the Supreme Court affirmed the original death sentence. The Court resolved all issues raised in the appeal Sanda filed and ultimately dismissed it as being without merit.
Explaining the rationale behind the final ruling, Justice Moore Adumein, delivering the lead judgment personally, held that “the prosecution had proved the case beyond reasonable doubt as required, adding that the Court of Appeal was correct to affirm the trial court’s judgement.”
The decision solidifies the death penalty for Sanda, marking a definitive end to her appeal process.
