Supreme Court on Friday reaffirmed the death sentence handed to Maryam Sanda, daughter-in-law of a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for committing culpable homicide.
An Abuja High Court had on January 27, 2020, sentenced Sanda to death by hanging after she was found guilty of stabbing her husband, Bilyamin Bello, to death at their Abuja residence in 2017.
Although she had spent about six years and eight months in Suleja Prison, President Bola Tinubu, exercising his executive powers, reduced her total 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”, highlighting qualities such as “good conduct, embraced new lifestyle, model to prisoners and remorsefulness” as reasons for her clemency.
Meanwhile, a five-member panel of justices of the apex court, in a split judgement of four to one, restated the judicial pronouncement ordering her death by hanging.
The court resolved all issues raised by Sanda to set aside her conviction and sentence, dismissing her appeal “for want of merit.”
In the lead verdict delivered by Justice Moore Adumein, the Supreme Court held that the prosecution established her guilt beyond every reasonable doubt. It also affirmed that the Court of Appeal’s decision upholding the trial court’s sentence was unassailable.
The Supreme Court further ruled that it was wrong for President Tinubu, as head of the executive, to exercise his powers to grant pardon over a case of culpable homicide while an appeal was pending.
