Mixed reactions have trailed President Bola Tinubu’s decision to grant presidential pardon to Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello.
Sanda, daughter-in-law to former PDP National Chairman, Haliru Bello, was convicted by an Abuja High Court for stabbing her husband to death in 2017 during a domestic quarrel. She had spent over six years in custody before her name appeared on a new presidential clemency list.
The presidency said the pardon followed the recommendation of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy and was based on Sanda’s good conduct and remorse while in prison. It added that 175 inmates and ex-convicts benefited from the latest round of clemency, which also included sentence reductions and commutations.
However, the decision has sparked outrage across the country, with many Nigerians accusing the government of undermining justice. Critics described the move as selective mercy that favors the powerful while ordinary prisoners languish in jail. Some social media users said the pardon sends the wrong signal and diminishes the seriousness of domestic violence and homicide.
Supporters of the move argue that presidential clemency is a constitutional prerogative and that Sanda had shown genuine repentance. They insist the President acted within the law and that the pardon should be seen as a gesture of mercy rather than injustice.
Rights groups and legal commentators have called for greater transparency in the exercise of presidential pardon powers, warning that frequent clemency for high-profile convicts could erode public confidence in the judicial system.
Sanda’s release has reignited public debate on justice, gender, and privilege in Nigeria’s penal system.
