By Deborah Nnamdi
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has granted a state pardon to Mrs. Maryam Sanda, who was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello — son of former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Haliru Bello.
Sanda, arrested in November 2017 and sentenced to death by the Federal High Court in Abuja in January 2020, had spent more than six years in prison awaiting execution before receiving clemency.
Her name appeared among several others pardoned by President Tinubu, according to a statement issued on Saturday evening by Presidential Spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga.
“Illegal miners, white-collar convicts, remorseful drug offenders, foreigners, Major General Mamman Vatsa, Major Akubo, Professor Magaji Garba, capital offenders such as Maryam Sanda, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and the other Ogoni Eight were among the 175 convicts and former convicts who received President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mercy,” Onanuga stated.
He explained that the President’s decision followed recommendations highlighting that many of the convicts had demonstrated genuine remorse and good behavior while serving their sentences.
“Some were pardoned due to old age, acquisition of new vocational skills, or enrolment in the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN),” Onanuga added.
He further noted that President Tinubu’s clemency also sought to address historical injustices, including a posthumous pardon for Nigerian nationalist Sir Herbert Macaulay.
The announcement marks one of the most significant acts of presidential mercy in recent years, extending both to living convicts and posthumously to prominent historical figures.
