Victim’s relatives accuse Presidency of mockery of justice, say pardon reopens deep wounds and dehumanises the dead
The family of the late Bilyaminu Bello has condemned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to grant a presidential pardon to Maryam Sanda, who was convicted and sentenced to death for killing her husband, describing the action as “the worst injustice any family could ever endure.”
In a scathing statement issued on Monday and signed by Dr. Bello Mohammed on behalf of the family, the late Bilyaminu’s relatives said the pardon had “reopened painful wounds” and made a mockery of the Nigerian justice system after years of painful litigation.
> “To have Maryam Sanda walk the face of the earth again, free from any blemish for her heinous crime, as though she had merely squashed an ant, is the worst possible injustice any family could be made to go through,” the statement read.
Sanda, daughter of former Aso Savings Bank chairperson Maimuna Aliyu, was convicted on January 27, 2020, by the FCT High Court for stabbing her husband, Bilyaminu, to death at their Abuja residence on November 19, 2017. Her conviction was later upheld by the Court of Appeal in December 2020, and finally by the Supreme Court on October 27, 2023.
The family said they had begun to find closure after the apex court’s ruling affirmed her guilt, only for Tinubu’s pardon to “reopen a wound that had barely healed.”
> “Satisfied that justice had finally been served, the judgment provided some closure of sorts in the circumstance, if ever there could be one,” the family stated.
“Although the perpetrator had shown no remorse even for a fleeting moment, we took solace in the court’s verdict and painfully moved on, only for the government to dishonour that justice in the most hurtful way.”
The grieving family accused the Tinubu-led administration of undermining judicial integrity and politicising justice, alleging that the clemency was a move “to appease Maryam’s influential family.”
> “We interpret this decision as primarily driven by the sole motivation of appeasing Maryam’s family members by way of extending mercy to a convicted murderer, while conveniently ignoring the pain inflicted on the victim’s family, friends and associates,” the statement continued.
They described the pardon as a moral failure and a dangerous precedent that erodes public trust in the rule of law.
> “Granting clemency to a person found guilty of premeditated murder has dehumanised our son and reduced him to a mere statistic,” the statement added.
“We are compelled to remind Nigerians that Bilyaminu was not just another faceless name on a list of victims. He was a beloved son, brother, friend, and father whose life was cut short by a senseless act of cruelty.”
The family also faulted the government’s justification that Sanda’s release was based on humanitarian grounds linked to her children’s welfare.
> “Those same children used to secure her freedom are the ones she deprived of a father’s love and care,” the statement said.
“It is deeply ironic and unjust that the pain she caused those children has now become her ticket to freedom.”
Concluding their statement, the family said they had chosen to leave the matter in God’s hands:
> “We take solace in the fact that the ultimate justice resides with the Supreme Judge, our Creator, who will dispense true judgment on the Day of Recompense.”
Last week, President Tinubu approved the release of 175 inmates across Nigeria under the “Prerogative of Mercy” initiative, a constitutional power that allows the President to grant clemency on humanitarian grounds.
However, Maryam Sanda’s inclusion among the beneficiaries has sparked nationwide outrage, with rights groups, activists, and victims’ families condemning the decision as “a grave insult to justice.”
Many Nigerians have taken to social media to express anger and disbelief, warning that the pardon sends a dangerous message that the rich and powerful can escape justice while ordinary citizens face the full wrath of the law.
Public Opinion:
Legal experts and civil society groups have called for greater transparency in the presidential pardon process, arguing that justice must not be seen to favour the influential.
As the debate continues, the question on many Nigerians’ minds remains:
If justice can be pardoned, what hope is left for the victims?
PIONEER NEWS 