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Nigerians reacted angrily to the presidential pardon granted to Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death by hanging in 2020 after she was found guilty of killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, at their residence in Abuja on November 19, 2017.
Maryam was among 175 convicts granted presidential pardon by President Bola Tinubu on Thursday based on the prerogative of mercy as embedded in the country’s Constitution.
Maryam Sanda, daughter of Maimuna Alliyu, former boss of Aso Savings, was found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging by the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja, for stabbing Bello, who is the son of former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Haliru Bello, during a domestic dispute.
Delivering the verdict, the presiding judge, Justice Yusuf Halilu, argued that the prosecution had proven that Maryam had fatally stabbed Bello with a kitchen knife and deserved the death penalty.
Before receiving pardon from the president, Maryam spent six years and eight months in the Suleja Medium Security Custody Center while awaiting hanging.
The President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who confirmed the pardon granted to Maryam and her colleagues in a statement on Saturday, said that her family had requested her release, arguing that it was in the best interest of her two children.
“The plea is also based on his good behavior in prison, his remorse, and his adoption of a new lifestyle, which shows his commitment to being a model prisoner,” Onanuga said.
However, the president’s pardon has drawn much anger from Nigerians who believe he was granted a reprieve because of his family’s wealth and connections to those in power, while others see the move as a double standard from the government.
While criticizing the pardon granted by the president, others juxtaposed the government’s refusal to release detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Mazi Nnamdi, who they say has not been convicted of any crime, and wondered why the President did not grant him the amnesty.
Former presidential candidate
Member of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, believes the presidential pardon granted to Sanda is a form of double standards and hypocrisy, while the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu is still languishing in detention despite the fact that he has not been convicted of any crime.
“Tinubu freed Maryam Sanda, the woman who was found guilty of the murder of her husband in 2020. The accused murderer received pardon because of his connection.
‘Yet Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who has never been convicted of any crime, continues to rot in custody awaiting a sham trial. This is hypocrisy,” he wrote on his account X handle on Saturday night.
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Read the views of other Nigerians who used X to express their displeasure over the pardon.
“You can call it mercy, or you can call it what it is, a reminder of how unequal our system really is. On paper, forgiveness seems noble. A form of compassion, a second chance, an image of a just leader extending grace.
“But in a country where justice favors the powerful, mercy is no longer considered a principle and begins to look like a privilege.
“Too many ordinary people are serving endless sentences for lesser crimes, forgotten in overcrowded prisons and no one mentions their names. They don’t get the president’s attention or public sympathy. They just drown in the silence of the system.
“And then there was Nnamdi Kanu, who was detained for five years, dragged through endless court processes, with no clear resolution and no political will to end it. The same government that could have shown mercy in one case, somehow, only got punishment in his case. That’s not justice. That’s selective morality.
“When mercy is seen as selective, it undermines faith in justice itself. When the law begins to serve the powerful rather than the people, then the law ceases to be the law, and becomes politics involving the courtroom.” – otees solution1
“This is the height of selective justice. A woman convicted of murder received presidential pardon, but Nnamdi Kanu, who has not been convicted of any crime, remains locked in solitary confinement.
“Nigeria has turned justice into a privilege for the connected and a punishment for the outspoken. When convicted murderers walk free while political prisoners rot, the country is no longer a democracy – it is a mockery.” –Amazing Isra3
“I remember the woman who stabbed her husband to death for having an affair with a kitchen knife in the north. I wasn’t angry when I saw Yoruba Ronu or Fulani terrorist ethnic groups opposing Nnamdi Kanu’s release. BUT I was more angry when I saw very few IGBO sons and daughters opposing his release. This is pure IGBOPHOBIA, it has absolutely NOTHING to do with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, but everything to do with HATE for IGBO men! Still awake!” – EngrFAB
“This development is deeply regrettable and reinforces the painful sense of injustice that many Nigerians, especially igbo from the Southeast region, feel towards the system. Granting pardon to a convicted murderer while continuing to detain someone who has not been convicted undermines confidence in the rule of law and fuels perceptions of bias and legal malice. True justice must be blind to tribe, influence or affiliation.” – Neuton0001
“Forgiveness must not be a political favor. If someone wants to be pardoned for murder, the reasons must be transparent and legally sound. Justice for victims is paramount. We demand the truth, due process and no impunity.” – thekanoblog
“It’s unfair how this is being handled here. They refused to release Nnamdi Kanu, because they want to play politics with his release. Kanu has not committed any offense that goes beyond what bandits and terrorists do every day, in fact they are not being punished. Naija? Oh my God oooo!” – naijacruisedz
“Maryam Sanda attempted to kill her husband about five times on the same night before she finally succeeded. Whatever reasons were presented to the President to justify the pardon, they would never be enough to justify pardoning a cold-blooded murderer who was sentenced to death and served only 6 years in prison.
“There are thousands of Nigerians in various correctional institutions whose only offense is being poor and coming from poor backgrounds, they are the ones who deserve pardon, not the privileged who believe they can get away with anything. In fact, the number of people pardoned by the President will be replaced within hours by the Nigerian police through their illegal raids.
“We need a justice system where people are held accountable for their actions that impartially acts as a deterrent to others and an executive that does not betray the essence of a good justice system to grant unnecessary pardons to some people who have been convicted of heinous crimes committed against others and the State.
“In addition, people found guilty of corrupt practices should not be the recipients of a Presidential pardon in a country where most people can get away with it. – Ridwanullahii
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“It is shocking and morally wrong that Maryam Sanda, who was convicted in 2020 for stabbing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, to death, has been pardoned by President Tinubu. This is not mercy, this is an erosion of justice.
“To pardon someone who intentionally took a life undermines the rule of law and the value of human life. The court found him guilty of murder after clear evidence. No government should pardon anyone convicted of murder. Such actions undermine deterrence, disrespect the victim, and send the wrong message to society.
“Justice must not be sacrificed on the altar of emotion or politics. Mercy should be reserved for those capable of reform, not those who destroy lives.
“President Tinubu’s actions risk turning pardon into impunity. Nigeria needs justice that is firm, fair and consistent. True leadership balances compassion and consequence.
#JusticeNotPardon.” – Mrbhadoosky
“This is bad. The largest percentage of those pardoned are drug smugglers, then kidnappers, murderers, people who steal the country’s resources. Meanwhile, inside Nigerian prisons right now there is a man who killed Fulani herdsmen in self-defense after they attacked his farm.” – abujasecurity
“More proof that the president is surrounded by evil people. I believe a senior official recommended the list and he just signed it. Now some cunning person has slipped in the name of this murderous wizard and the president is paying the price.” – ItzDayo
“Injustice is Plainly Visible! Maryam Sanda, who stabbed her husband to death, was pardoned by President Tinubu. 5,000 repentant Boko Haram members were pardoned by the late Muhammadu Buhari. Other terrorist groups have now been granted amnesty.
“Then tell me – why wasn’t Nnamdi Kanu pardoned too? If murderers and terrorists can go free, then justice should not be denied to someone whose only “crime” was defending his people. Defying a court order is an abuse of justice.” – Citizen_SYusuf
“Maryam Sanda, who stabbed her husband to death in 2020, has been granted Presidential Pardon for the sake of her children. In conclusion, her husband’s actions were in vain.” – GuyMr0
