The Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence handed to Maryam Sanda, reaffirming the earlier conviction that found her guilty of culpable homicide in the stabbing death of her husband, Bilyamin Bello.
In a split decision of four to one, a five-member panel of the apex court ruled that the judgment sentencing her to death by hanging remained valid and binding.
In the lead ruling delivered by Justice Moore Adumein, the court dismissed Sanda’s appeal, stating that the prosecution had proven its case beyond any reasonable doubt. The justices agreed that the findings of both the trial court and the Court of Appeal were sound, maintaining that the appellate court’s affirmation of the death sentence could not be faulted.
The apex court also faulted President Bola Tinubu for attempting to intervene in the matter through executive clemency while an appeal on the case was still pending. It stressed that the head of the executive arm should not exercise the power of pardon in a homicide matter undergoing judicial review.
Sanda was originally convicted on January 27, 2020, after the Abuja High Court found her guilty of killing her husband in their home in 2017. She was sentenced to death by hanging and had spent about six years and eight months in Suleja prison before President Tinubu reduced her punishment to a 12-year term as part of a presidential pardon initiative.
The Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), later clarified that Sanda benefited from clemency on “compassionate grounds,” emphasizing that the decision considered her conduct in prison, her supposed transformation, and concerns about the welfare of her children. He stated that she had shown “good conduct,” embraced a new way of life, demonstrated remorse, and served as a model for other inmates.
Despite these considerations, the Supreme Court ruled that her death sentence stands, bringing an end to her legal challenge and restoring the original punishment imposed by the trial court.
What you should know
Maryam Sanda’s case has been one of Nigeria’s most widely followed homicide trials, stemming from the fatal stabbing of her husband in 2017.
After her conviction in 2020, she pursued multiple appeals, all of which were dismissed. Although President Tinubu approved a 12-year reduced sentence for her on compassionate grounds, the Supreme Court has now reinstated the original death-by-hanging verdict.
The ruling underscores the apex court’s insistence on strict adherence to judicial processes and its rejection of executive intervention while an appeal is active.
The decision effectively closes the legal chapter on the case and restores the full weight of the earlier conviction.
