President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a presidential pardon for Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for the murder of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello.
Sanda, 37, had spent six years and eight months at the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre before being released under the President’s nationwide clemency programme.
In a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the clemency was granted following the recommendation of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
According to the committee, Sanda exhibited “exemplary conduct, genuine remorse, and significant personal transformation” during her incarceration, describing her as a model inmate who had truly reformed.
Her family had also appealed for her release, highlighting her rehabilitation efforts and the need to care for her two children.
Sanda’s pardon is among 175 approved by President Tinubu, which also included posthumous pardons for Ken Saro-Wiwa, Major General Mamman Vatsa, and Professor Magaji Garba. The gesture forms part of the government’s ongoing efforts to foster national unity and advance justice sector reforms.
