President Tinubu has removed Maryam Sanda from the presidential pardon list.
Newsone Nigeria reports that the name of Maryam Sanda, sentenced to death in 2020 for the culpable homicide of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, has been removed from the pardon list by President Bola Tinubu.
According to a State House press release signed by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, President Tinubu approved a comprehensive review of the earlier list of beneficiaries under the prerogative of mercy following consultations with the Council of State and in response to public opinion.
Onanuga said the review led to the removal of individuals convicted of serious crimes such as kidnapping, drug offences, human trafficking, fraud, and unlawful possession or trafficking of firearms. Others who had previously been pardoned had their sentences commuted.
The statement read in part: “Consequently, certain persons convicted of serious crimes such as kidnapping, drug-related offences, human trafficking, fraud, unlawful possession of firearms/arms dealing, etc, were deleted from the list. Others who had been hitherto pardoned in the old list had their sentences commuted.
“This action became necessary in view of the seriousness and security implications of some of the offences, the need to be sensitive to the feelings of the victims of the crimes and society in general, the need to boost the morale of law enforcement agencies and adherence to bilateral obligations.”
Also, those who were previously pardoned on the old list have had their sentences reduced.
Meanwhile, Newsone reports that Maryam Sanda was sentenced to death by hanging by an FCT High Court in January 2020 after being found guilty of killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, the son of former PDP chairman Haliru Bello. She was convicted of stabbing him to death at their Maitama home in November 2017, a verdict later upheld by the Court of Appeal in December 2020.
Maryam Sanda’s name had reportedly appeared on an earlier draft of the clemency list, which circulated widely on social media, before being struck out in the latest version released by the Federal Government on Tuesday.
