The family of the late Bilyaminu Bello has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s decision to pardon Maryam Sanda, who was convicted in 2020 for the murder of her husband.
In a strongly worded statement, the family described the presidential clemency as “the worst possible injustice,” saying it has reopened wounds that had barely healed.
Sanda was among 175 inmates recently freed under the Presidential Prerogative of Mercy. The family said the decision disregarded years of painstaking judicial proceedings that affirmed her guilt up to the Supreme Court.
They accused the government of “appeasing” Sanda’s relatives while dehumanizing the victim and ignoring his children’s loss. “Maryam deprived her own children of their father’s love,” they said, adding that she showed no remorse during her trial.
While the presidency defended the amnesty as humanitarian, Bello’s family said it undermined public trust in justice. “We take solace only in divine justice,” they declared.
