President Bola Tinubu has reversed the earlier presidential pardon granted to Maryam Sanda, who was convicted for the killing of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, in Abuja.
According to an official gazette released by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Sanda’s sentence has now been commuted from death to 12 years imprisonment.
The document stated that the decision was made “on compassionate grounds, in the best interest of her children,” citing her good conduct, remorse, and transformation into a “model prisoner.”
Sanda, who has served six years and eight months at the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre, had earlier been listed among inmates granted clemency by the President following recommendations from the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
Other individuals granted presidential pardons include Major General Mamman Vatsa, Major Akubo, Professor Magaji Garba, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and the Ogoni Eight.
However, the new gazette clarified that Sanda’s case was treated separately and that her death sentence was not among those commuted to life imprisonment.
Quoting the gazette, President Tinubu said:
“In exercise of the powers conferred upon me by Section 175 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and all other powers enabling me in that behalf, I hereby commute the death sentence of the following persons to life imprisonment: Emmanuel Baba, Abubakar Usman, Khalifa Umar, and Mohammed Umar.”
The document, titled Instrument of Presidential Prerogative of Mercy (Commutation of Death Sentence to Life Imprisonment), 2025, was signed in Abuja on October 21, 2025.
The earlier list of 175 convicts who benefited from Tinubu’s pardon had sparked public debate, with critics questioning the inclusion of individuals convicted for grave offences, including drug trafficking.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had condemned the move, describing it as one that “erodes the moral authority of leadership and emboldens lawlessness.”
Meanwhile, the Office of the Attorney-General clarified that no inmate has yet been released, as the clemency process remains in its final administrative stage, pending legal and procedural reviews before official release instruments are issued.
