The Supreme Court has set aside the presidential pardon granted to Abuja housewife Maryam Sanda and reinstated the original death sentence issued by the lower courts.
Sanda was sentenced to death by hanging in 2020 for the killing of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, during a domestic dispute. Although President Bola Tinubu recently commuted her sentence to 12 years’ imprisonment on compassionate grounds, the Supreme Court has now reversed that decision.
In a four-to-one split ruling delivered on Friday, the Apex Court affirmed the death sentence earlier upheld by the Court of Appeal. The court dismissed Sanda’s appeal, stating that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Justice Moore Adumein, who read the lead judgment, said the Court of Appeal acted correctly in affirming the trial court’s verdict, leaving the original sentence fully restored.
