The Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence handed to Maryam Sanda after dismissing her appeal in a split judgment of four to one. The five-member panel reaffirmed the conviction for culpable homicide, ruling that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Moore Adumein, the court held that the earlier decisions of both the trial court and the Court of Appeal remained sound. It also resolved all issues raised by Sanda in her bid to overturn the conviction and declared her appeal lacking in merit.
The apex court stated that it was improper for President Bola Tinubu to exercise executive powers to grant a pardon in a case of culpable homicide while an appeal was still pending. Sanda had been sentenced to death by an Abuja high court on January 27, 2020, for the 2017 killing of her husband, Bilyamin Bello.
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Although she had spent more than six years in Suleja prison, President Tinubu later reduced her sentence to 12 years on compassionate grounds. The Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, said the decision was influenced by her conduct in custody and considerations for the welfare of her children.
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