THE Supreme Court has affirmed the death sentence previously handed to Maryam Sanda, the daughter-in-law of a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for the murder of her husband, Bilyamin Bello.
In a split decision of four to one, a five-member panel of the apex court upheld the judgments of both the trial court and the Court of Appeal, ruling that the prosecution had successfully proven its case of culpable homicide beyond reasonable doubt.
Justice Moore Adumein, who delivered the lead judgment, dismissed Sanda’s appeal in its entirety, describing it as lacking merit.
The court also criticised President Bola Tinubu’s earlier exercise of executive power, noting that reducing Sanda’s sentence to 12 years while her appeal was still pending was improper.
Tinubu’s intervention—made on compassionate grounds—had come after Sanda spent nearly seven years in Suleja prison, with the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), citing her remorse, improved conduct, and the welfare of her children as key considerations.
Sanda was first convicted on January 27, 2020, after the Abuja High Court found her guilty of fatally stabbing her husband in their home in 2017.
With today’s ruling, the Supreme Court has now reinstated the original sentence of death by hanging, overturning the president’s earlier reduction.