Nigeria’s Supreme Court has upheld Maryam Sanda’s death sentence for manslaughter, dismissing her appeal and overturning a previous presidential commutation.
In a four-to-one split decision, a five-judge panel confirmed the ruling ordering Sanda’s execution by hanging. The Supreme Court addressed all of the issues she raised in her appeal and found no grounds for her arguments to overturn the conviction.
Justice Moore Adumein, who handed down the main sentence, stated that the prosecution had established Sanda’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The court also held that the Court of Appeal’s confirmation of the lower court’s decision was valid and should stand.
The case dates back to January 27, 2020, when an Abuja High Court convicted Sanda of stabbing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, to death at their home in 2017. She was sentenced to death by hanging following the conviction.
In October 2025, President Bola Tinubu commuted Sanda’s 12-year prison sentence on humanitarian grounds, citing his conduct in custody and the well-being of his children. However, the Supreme Court ruled that the presidential pardon was inappropriate in a manslaughter case with a pending appeal and therefore could not be granted.
The high court’s decision marks an unusual annulment of the presidential pardon, reaffirming the judiciary’s authority in criminal matters still subject to judicial review. The ruling has reignited public debate about the exercise of executive pardon powers in ongoing legal proceedings.
The ruling ends years of legal battles over Sanda’s conviction and sentencing, and clarifies that pardon powers cannot be exercised in a way that conflicts with ongoing appeals processes.
Source: Channels Television
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