The family of the late Bilyaminu Bello has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s pardon of his wife, Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death for his murder.
In a statement on Monday, they described the pardon as the worst possible injustice for any family. They said including Sanda among the 175 inmates recently pardoned under the Prerogative of Mercy had reopened painful wounds that had barely begun to heal.
“To see Maryam Sanda free after committing such a heinous crime, as if nothing had happened, is the worst possible injustice for a family grieving a loved one,” the statement read.
The family noted that Sanda, convicted by the FCT High Court on January 27, 2020, for the premeditated murder of her husband, had shown no remorse throughout the ordeal. They recalled that the Court of Appeal upheld the judgment on December 4, 2020, and the Supreme Court affirmed it on October 27, 2023, which had provided some sense of closure.
“Although the perpetrator showed no remorse, the family had taken solace in the court’s decisions and tried to move on,” the statement said. “This recent development, coming just a few years after the cruel crime that ended Bilyaminu’s life, has, however, reopened our healing wounds.”
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