Supreme Court overrides presidential pardon, affirms death sentence for Maryam Sanda
In a landmark ruling that clarifies the limits of presidential pardon, the Supreme Court of Nigeria has overturned President Bola Tinubu’s decision to grant clemency to Maryam Sanda, who was convicted of killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello.
In a split judgment delivered on Friday, the apex court upheld the death sentence by hanging earlier imposed on Sanda by an FCT High Court in 2020 and later affirmed by the Court of Appeal. Sanda was convicted for fatally stabbing her husband during a domestic dispute in 2017.
The constitutional clash arose after President Tinubu reduced her sentence to 12 years imprisonment on “compassionate grounds,” even though her final appeal was still pending before the Supreme Court.
Justice Moore Adumein, delivering the lead judgment, held that the prosecution proved the case of culpable homicide beyond reasonable doubt and dismissed Sanda’s appeal for lack of merit.
Crucially, the court ruled that the President’s attempt to grant pardon while the case was still under judicial consideration was constitutionally improper. The justices stressed that executive mercy cannot override an ongoing court process, especially in capital offences, reaffirming the separation of powers and the finality of judicial authority.
The ruling restores Sanda’s original death sentence and sets a major precedent on the limits of presidential clemency.
