The family of the late Bilyaminu Ahmed Bello is upset that Maryam Sanda, who was found guilty of killing her husband and condemned to death, was given a presidential pardon.
The family of the deceased released a statement yesterday, signed by Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed (Dangaladiman Gwandu), in which they called President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to grant Sanda clemency a “cruel reopening of healing wounds” and a grave injustice to the memory of their loved one.
Bilyaminu’s family stated they are very wounded by Maryam’s release. They said it was an attempt to make her family happy while ignoring the pain that the victim’s family, friends, and acquaintances will have to live with for the rest of their lives.
Last Thursday, 175 people who had been convicted were given a presidential pardon and mercy under the Prerogative of Mercy powers, according to Daily Trust.
Bayo Onanuga, the Presidential Adviser on Information and Strategy, put out the list. It included people who were serving time for a range of crimes, from illegal mining and drug offenses to murder and other capital offenses.
The list includes illegal miners, white-collar criminals, drug offenders, foreigners, Major General Mamman Vatsa, Major Akubo, Professor Magaji Garba, and capital offenders such Maryam Sanda, Ken Saro Wiwa, and the other Ogoni eight.
The Council of State approved the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, which was led by Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
According to Onanuga, the pardons were given since reports showed that the criminals had exhibited repentance and good behavior.
The presidential pardon has made people angry and started a new discussion regarding the justice and morality of Nigeria’s Prerogative of Mercy process.
Maryam Sanda was found guilty of killing her husband, whom she stabbed to death after a fight in their Abuja home. This is still one of Nigeria’s most famous incidents of domestic violence and spousal murder.
Sanda was brought before an FCT High Court, where she said she was innocent the whole time.
In January 2020, after a long court struggle that got a lot of attention across the country, Justice Yusuf Halilu found her guilty of killing her husband and condemned her to death by hanging. She has been at the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Center for six years and eight months.
“Her release is the worst thing that could happen to any family.”
Bilyaminu’s family remarked that Sanda’s release was “the worst possible injustice any family could be made to go through for a loved one.” They called her a “certified convicted murderer” who had exhibited no remorse during her trial and appeals.
Bilyaminu’s family said they had opted to stay quiet since the unfortunate event on November 19, 2017, out of respect for the two innocent children left behind. This was despite the fact that Sanda’s camp had allegedly spread various false stories.
They said they had faith in the legal system, which upheld the FCT High Court’s death sentence in December 2020 and the Supreme Court’s decision in October 2023.
The family said that those decisions gave them some peace of mind, even though Sanda never apologized.
But they added that the recent presidential pardon has painfully revived old wounds, calling Sanda’s release a terrible injustice that makes the victim’s life look unimportant.
The family also disagreed with the reason for the pardon, saying that Sanda’s family had asked for it and that Bilyaminu was also a loving son, friend, and associate who was “grievously denied the opportunity to live and raise his children.”
They said they sought solace in divine justice, expressing conviction that “ultimate justice resides with the Supreme Judge and Creator,” and prayed for the repose of Bilyaminu’s soul and strength for his children and loved ones to bear the agony of his loss.
SEE THE FULL STATEMENT FROM BILYAMINU’S FAMILY BELOW:
When the Prerogative of Mercy Causes Unbearable Pain
His Excellency, Mr. President, recently used his discretionary power and authority under the Prerogative of Mercy concept to award Presidential pardons to 175 convicted people serving jail time for a variety of crimes. Some of the people on the list were on death row, while others were given a pardon after they died.
Maryam Sanda is a name that stands out to us as a family. On Monday, January 27, 2020, the FCT High Court found her guilty of the planned and cold-blooded murder of her husband, Bilyaminu Ahmed Bello, who was a valued member of our family.
Because the situation involves two innocent children of the deceased victim and is very sensitive, the family has not made any public statements or comments since the sad event that happened on that fateful night of Sunday, November 19, 2017.
This was despite the fact that the suspected perpetrator’s camp had multiple sponsored write-ups that were full of lies about the deceased and didn’t take the children’s best interests into account. Instead, we trusted and believed that the country’s legal system would take its course and bring justice to the victim who died and his family.
The Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court both upheld the FCT High Court’s death sentence on Friday, December 4, 2020, and Friday, October 27, 2023, respectively. The judgment brought some closure to the situation, if there could ever be one, because it made them feel like justice had finally been served. Even though the person who did it never showed any remorse, the family found comfort in the judgments and went on, having bitterly accepted what had happened to one of their own.
This new turn of events, which happened just a few years after the horrible incident that took Bilyaminu’s life too soon, has, as feared, rekindled our scars. It is the worst thing that could happen to a family for a loved one to have Maryam Sanda walk the planet again, free of any blemish for her horrible deed as if she had just squished an ant.
So, we have to make this official declaration to make Bilyaminu seem more human. Right now, he is being made to look like just another nameless victim of crime in the country, simply a number.
The reasons given for Maryam Sanda’s release were based on requests from her family and other factors.
It is important to remember that Bilyaminu was a beloved member of our family who was dearly loved and grieved by his many relatives, friends, and close companions after the terrible event that led to his brutal death eight years ago. Maryam has already denied the same children who are now being used to gain sympathy and get her out of jail the chance to learn what it means to be loved and cared for by a father.
We see this latest turn of events as mainly driven by the need to appease Maryam’s family members by showing mercy to a convicted murderer, while at the same time ignoring or conveniently ignoring the pain that has now been caused to the victim’s many grieving family members, friends, and associates.
We find comfort in knowing that the Supreme Judge and our Creator are the only ones who can give full justice in these kinds of cases. On the Day of Recompense, no one will be able to speak up for anyone else.
We ask Almighty Allah SWT to give our darling Bilyaminu’s soul peace and strength to deal with his death even now that we know about this new development. May Allah also be there for his children at every turn of their requirements and help them grow up to be decent, obedient Muslims and proud Nigerians. Ameen.
What lawyers say
Two lawyers had different perspectives about the presidential pardon that was given. Ebuka Nwaeze, Esq., said that the president or a state governor has the right to grant a pardon, depending on the circumstances. The victim of the crime does not have to agree or provide their opinion.
He remarked, “The moral consequences of how the president uses that power are for the people who vote to decide.”
E.M.D. Umukoro, Esq. said, however, that the law doesn’t say that victims have to be consulted before a pardon is granted. Instead, people who have the capacity to grant a pardon should think about the victims’ sentiments and interests.
He remarked, “The people who wrote the law thought that the use of discretionary powers should be guided by purpose, sincerity, fairness, justice, and truth, so that victims are not humiliated or ignored.”
Umukoro also said that the president should have given a reason for the mercy, such fresh evidence or mistakes made during the first trial, to indicate that the pardon was not random.
He went on to say, “It’s important for the victims of these crimes that certain explanations are given; otherwise, it could be seen as a miscarriage of justice, a charade, and a disregard for the rule of law.”
The Prisons Service hasn’t set a release date yet.
Umar Abubakar, the spokesman for the Nigerian Correctional Service (Prisons Service), told our reporter that the service had not yet received the list of detainees who will be released.
He remarked, “It was a presidential announcement, but we haven’t gotten the official word yet.” He added, “Sometimes, it takes time.”
He did say, though, that he would get in touch with our reporter once his office has the list.
But a source who talked to our reporter last night explained how the process works for letting people out who have received this kind of pardon.
He stated that after the announcement, the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of the Federation will write to the Minister of Interior, who would then tell the Controller-General of Corrections what to do about the situation.
He claimed that the Controller-General of Corrections will subsequently send information to all of the country’s detention centers, telling them to check and take action. The insider said that this has not yet been done.
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