The family of the late Bilyaminu Ahmed Bello, who was murdered by his wife, Maryam Sanda, in 2017, has expressed deep pain and disappointment over the Presidential pardon recently granted to Maryam Sanda by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu under the Prerogative of Mercy.
In a statement signed by Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed, OFR (Dangaladiman Gwandu), on behalf of the family, the late Bilyaminu’s relatives described the decision as a cruel blow that has reopened old wounds and erased the justice that was painstakingly secured through years of legal battle.
The family said that they had chosen silence and dignity since the tragic incident that occurred on Sunday, November 19, 2017, trusting Nigeria’s judicial system to deliver justice.
They said that their faith was rewarded when the FCT High Court convicted and sentenced Maryam Sanda to death on January 27, 2020, a judgment that was upheld by both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court in 2020 and 2023, respectively.
“Satisfied that justice had finally been served, the judgment provided some closure of sorts in the circumstance, if ever there could be one,” the statement read.
The family said that though Maryam Sanda did not show remorse throughout the saga, but that they took solace in the court verdicts and moved on, “having painfully come to terms with the fate that life had thrust upon one of our own.”
The family regretted that the Presidential pardon, which was among 175 granted to convicted persons, including some on death row had shattered their healing process and rendered the justice system hollow.
