Family of Late Bilyaminu Bello Condemns Tinubu’s Pardon for Killer Maryam Sanda, Calls It “Cruel Blow”

Family of Late Bilyaminu Bello Condemns Tinubu’s Pardon for Killer Maryam Sanda, Calls It “Cruel Blow”

The family of the late Bilyaminu Ahmed Bello, who was murdered by his wife, Maryam Sanda, in 2017, has expressed outrage over President Bola Tinubu’s decision to grant her a state pardon, describing it as a “cruel blow that has reopened old wounds.”

In a statement signed by Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed, the family said the presidential clemency “erased the justice painstakingly secured through years of legal battle” and dealt a devastating setback to their healing process.

“To have Maryam Sanda walk the face of the earth again, free from any blemish for her heinous crime as if she had merely squashed an ant, is the worst possible injustice any family could be made to go through for a loved one,” the statement read.

The family recalled that since the tragic killing on Sunday, November 19, 2017, they had chosen “silence and dignity,” trusting the Nigerian judiciary to deliver justice. That faith, they noted, was affirmed when the FCT High Court convicted Sanda of murder on January 27, 2020—a verdict upheld by both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court in 2020 and 2023, respectively.

“Satisfied that justice had finally been served, the judgment provided some closure of sorts in the circumstance, if ever there could be one,” the statement added.

The family lamented that Sanda had “shown no remorse throughout the saga,” and that the presidential pardon—among 175 granted, including some on death row—had rendered Nigeria’s justice system “hollow.”

They described the decision as “selective mercy,” allegedly influenced by “political or sentimental appeals” from Sanda’s family while disregarding the pain and trauma inflicted on the victim’s loved ones.

According to the statement, the late Bilyaminu was “not just another faceless statistic,” but a cherished son, brother, and father whose life was “brutally cut short in his prime.”

Read also: Tinubu Grants Presidential Pardon to Maryam Sanda, Convicted of Killing Husband

The family also criticized Sanda’s supporters for what they called an attempt to “rewrite history” by using emotional narratives involving her children.

“Maryam, let’s not forget, had earlier denied the same children now used to elicit sympathy and secure her release, the opportunity to know what a father’s love and care means,” they said.

Despite their anguish, the family reaffirmed their faith in divine justice, stating that “ultimate justice rests with the Supreme Judge and Creator, who will dispense this matter on the Day of Recompense.”

“May Allah grant the soul of our dear Bilyaminu eternal rest and grant us the fortitude to bear his sad loss even in the light of this latest development,” Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed concluded.