The Supreme Court reaffirmed the death sentence for Maryam Sanda, the daughter-in-law of a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Friday. She was convicted of culpable homicide.
An Abuja high court sentenced her to death by hanging on January 27, 2020, after she was found guilty of stabbing her husband, Bilyamin Bello, to death at their residence in Abuja in 2017.
Although Sanda had already spent approximately six years and eight months in Suleja Prison, President Bola Tinubu used his executive powers to reduce her sentence to 12 years.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, explained that her inclusion in the recent presidential pardon was based on “compassionate ground and in the best interest of the children,” listing some of the qualities that earned her clemency to include “good conduct, embraced new lifestyle, model to prisoners and remorsefulness.”
A five-member panel of justices from the Supreme Court recently issued a split judgment of four to one, reaffirming the decision that sentenced her to death by hanging.
The court addressed all the issues she raised and ultimately dismissed her appeal due to lack of merit, thus upholding her conviction and sentence.
In the lead verdict delivered by Justice Moore Adumein, the Supreme Court determined that the prosecution proved her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. It stated that the Court of Appeal’s decision to confirm the trial court’s sentence was sound and could not be challenged.
Additionally, the Supreme Court ruled that it was inappropriate for President Tinubu, as the head of the executive branch, to attempt to grant a pardon in a case of culpable homicide while an appeal was still pending.
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