President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has granted a presidential pardon to Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for the murder of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello. Sanda, who has spent six years and eight months at the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre, was among 175 Nigerians and foreigners granted clemency.
In a statement issued on Saturday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency said Sanda’s family had appealed for her release, citing the welfare of her two children. The plea also highlighted her good conduct in prison, remorse, and commitment to personal reform.
“The plea was anchored on her good conduct in jail, her remorse, and her embracement of a new lifestyle, demonstrating her commitment to being a model prisoner,” the statement noted.
President Tinubu’s decision also extended posthumous pardons to prominent figures, including the late environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, Major General Mamman Vatsa, and other members of the “Ogoni Nine.”
The Presidency described the move as one of the most far-reaching exercises of the presidential prerogative of mercy in recent history, addressing both contemporary and historical cases.
