Supreme Court Overturns Presidential Pardon, Reinstates Death Sentence For Maryam Sanda

Nigeria’s Supreme Court has set aside the presidential pardon granted to Maryam Sanda and restored the death sentence originally handed down for the murder of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello.

Sanda was convicted by an FCT High Court in 2020 and sentenced to death by hanging, a judgment later affirmed by the Court of Appeal. President Bola Tinubu later commuted the sentence to 12 years’ imprisonment on humanitarian grounds.

In a 4–1 verdict delivered on December 12, 2025, the Supreme Court dismissed her final appeal and ruled that the pardon was improperly issued while her case was still active in court. Justice Moore Adumein, who read the lead judgment, stated that the evidence firmly established her guilt and left no room for doubt.

He further held that the executive cannot interfere in a homicide case still undergoing judicial review. One justice dissented, though details of the minority opinion were not disclosed.

Source: Instablog

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