Bilyaminu Bello’s Family Condemns Tinubu’s Pardon of Maryam Sanda, Calls It “A Cruel Injustice”

The family of the late Bilyaminu Bello has strongly condemned President Bola Tinubu’s decision to grant a presidential pardon to Maryam Sanda, the woman convicted of murdering her husband in 2017.

They described the pardon as “the worst possible injustice any family could be made to go through”, saying it has reopened the painful wounds they had tried for years to heal.

Tinubu’s Mercy Decision Sparks Outrage

President Tinubu had, last week, approved the release of 175 inmates serving various prison terms across the country under the Prerogative of Mercy policy, which allows clemency on humanitarian grounds.
Among those freed was Maryam Sanda, who had been convicted in 2020 by an FCT High Court for the cold-blooded murder of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, son of former PDP National Chairman, Dr. Haliru Bello.

Family: “This Is the Worst Injustice”

In a statement released on Monday and signed by Dr. Bello Mohammed on behalf of the bereaved family, the Bellos condemned the presidential pardon, saying it had “reopened raw wounds” that justice had barely managed to heal.

“To have Maryam Sanda walk the face of the earth again, free from any blemish for her heinous crime as if she had merely squashed an ant, is the worst possible injustice any family could be made to go through,”
the statement partly read.

The family lamented that the pardon ignored the gravity of the crime and undermined the years of painstaking judicial process that saw Sanda’s conviction upheld by three different courts.

No Remorse, No Repentance

The statement recalled that Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death by hanging on January 27, 2020, never showed remorse throughout the legal proceedings.

Her conviction was first upheld by the Court of Appeal on December 4, 2020, and later by the Supreme Court on October 27, 2023, which affirmed her guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

“Satisfied that justice had finally been served, the judgment provided some closure. Although the perpetrator had shown no remorse, the family took solace in the courts’ decisions and painfully moved on,”
the statement continued.
“This latest development, coming barely two years after the Supreme Court ruling, has reopened our wounds and shattered the small peace we had begun to rebuild.”

Pardon Allegedly Influenced by Appeals from Sanda’s Family

The Bello family expressed deep disappointment that the government extended clemency to Sanda despite the gravity of her offence, suggesting that the decision was influenced by “appeals from her family members.”

“We interpret this decision as primarily driven by the sole motivation of appeasing Maryam’s family, rather than upholding justice. At the same time, it ignored the inexorable pain inflicted on the victim’s grieving family, friends, and associates,” the statement noted.

Judicial Process Undermined

The family accused the Federal Government of undermining the sanctity of the judiciary by nullifying a conviction that had gone through all judicial stages. They said the pardon dehumanised their late son and reduced him to “a mere statistic in Nigeria’s long list of forgotten victims.”

“We are compelled to issue this formal statement to humanise Bilyaminu, who is now being made to appear as if he were just another faceless victim. His life mattered. His murder was brutal, and justice was hard-won — only for it to be undone by a pen stroke,” the family said.

“She Deprived Her Own Children of Their Father’s Love”

Faulting the grounds for clemency, the family noted that while Sanda’s release was reportedly granted on “family appeals and humanitarian considerations”, the same mercy was not shown to her husband — or to their children who will grow up without knowing their father.

“Let us not forget that Maryam herself deprived her children of their father’s love and care,” the statement read.
“Those same children are now being used to elicit sympathy and secure her release, even as she never expressed remorse for taking their father’s life.”

“Ultimate Justice Belongs to God”

Despite their anger and heartbreak, the family said they draw strength from their faith, believing that true justice will come from God.

“We take solace in the simple fact that ultimate justice resides purely with the Supreme Judge, our Creator, who will dispense this matter on the Day of Recompense,”
they concluded.

Background: The 2017 Murder That Shocked Nigeria

Maryam Sanda was convicted for stabbing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, to death at their home in Maitama, Abuja, on November 19, 2017, during a domestic dispute. The gruesome murder shocked Nigerians and became one of the most high-profile criminal cases in the country’s history.

Her release through presidential pardon has now reignited public debate about Nigeria’s justice system, fairness, and the limits of executive clemency.