By LEVI JOHNSON
Apex Court Nullifies Presidential Pardon
Nigeria’s Supreme Court has upturned the presidential clemency earlier granted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Abuja housewife, Maryam Sanda, reinstating the death sentence handed down for the murder of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello.
Sanda was convicted in 2020 after the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court found her guilty of causing the fatal stab wound that led to Bello’s death following a heated domestic dispute. The ruling was affirmed by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which agreed that the prosecution had effectively proved its case.
Although President Tinubu recently reduced her sentence to a 12-year jail term on compassionate grounds, the nation’s highest court has now overturned that gesture, stressing that constitutional powers of pardon do not extend to reversing final judicial pronouncements on capital offences.
Four-to-One Split Decision Restores Capital Punishment
In its judgement delivered on Friday, the Supreme Court, in a 4–1 majority decision, ruled that the original death sentence remains valid. The justices held that the appellate court acted correctly when it upheld the FCT High Court’s verdict.
Justice Moore Adumein, who delivered the lead judgement, explained that the prosecution had established its case beyond reasonable doubt, meeting the threshold required for a conviction on a capital offence. According to him, the evidence presented during trial was compelling enough to sustain the sentence without interference.
The apex court further dismissed all the issues raised by Sanda in her appeal, describing them as lacking merit and failing to demonstrate any miscarriage of justice.
Legal Analysts Weigh In
Legal observers say the decision underscores the judiciary’s position that executive clemency cannot override a conviction that has undergone full appellate scrutiny. The ruling is expected to spark fresh national conversations about domestic violence, capital punishment, and the scope of presidential pardon powers.
With the Supreme Court decision, Maryam Sanda’s legal options have effectively closed, reinstating the death sentence that had been in place before President Tinubu’s intervention.
What Comes Next?
Attention now shifts to the Ministry of Justice and the Correctional Service as Nigeria awaits the administrative steps that follow a Supreme Court affirmation of a capital punishment verdict. Human rights groups, meanwhile, are expected to react to the ruling in the coming days.
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