The family of the late Bilyaminu Ahmed Bello has condemned the presidential pardon granted to Maryam Sanda, describing it as a “painful betrayal of justice” and a cruel reopening of old wounds.
In a statement signed by Dr. Bello Haliu Mohammed (OFR), Dangaladiman Gwandu, the family expressed deep disappointment over the clemency extended to Sanda, who was convicted and sentenced to death in 2020 for killing her husband.
They said they had chosen silence for years out of respect for due process and concern for the couple’s two children but felt compelled to speak following the decision to free her.
Sanda was convicted by the FCT High Court on January 27, 2020, for murdering her husband on November 19, 2017 — a judgment later upheld by both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
The family said they had accepted the verdicts as justice served until learning that Sanda was among 175 inmates granted clemency under the recent Presidential Prerogative of Mercy.
“To have Maryam Sanda walk free as if she had merely squashed an ant is the worst possible injustice any family could be made to endure,” the statement read.
They alleged that the pardon may have been influenced by appeals from Sanda’s family while ignoring the suffering of the victim’s loved ones.
The family also said Sanda had shown no remorse and warned that her release undermines public confidence in the rule of law.
“We see this pardon as an attempt to appease one family at the expense of another’s unending pain,” they added, praying for the repose of Bilyaminu’s soul and God’s continued protection for his children.
