Supreme court overturns presidential pardon, upholds death penalty for Maryam Sanda

Nigeria’s Supreme Court has nullified a pardon issued by President Bola Tinubu for Maryam Sanda, a homemaker from Abuja who was found guilty of murdering her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, during a heated family argument.

Back in 2020, an FCT High Court handed down a death-by-hanging sentence to Sanda, a ruling later confirmed by the Abuja Court of Appeal. Acting on humanitarian considerations, President Tinubu had commuted her punishment to just 12 years behind bars.

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However, in a closely divided 4-1 ruling delivered today, December 12, 2025, the Supreme Court reinstated the original death sentence. The justices threw out Sanda’s final appeal, deeming it without substance and addressing every point she raised.

Delivering the majority opinion, Justice Moore Adumein emphasized that the evidence clearly established Sanda’s guilt in the unlawful killing, with no room for doubt.

He further criticized the pardon as an improper use of executive authority, especially since it came while her appeal was still active in a homicide matter. The lone dissenting voice came from one justice, though specifics weren’t detailed in the judgment.