In a rare show of courage, the father of the late Bilyaminu Bello, who was murdered by his wife, Maryam Sanda, has lauded President Bola Tinubu for pardoning her.
Speaking yesterday in Abuja amid a cacophony of reactions that have continued to follow the reprieve, Ahmed Bello Isa explained how he had persuaded former President Muhammadu Buhari to pardon Sanda, to no avail.
The father of the deceased, who was murdered by Sanda in 2017, expressed his joy over the pardon of his daughter-in-law. He explained that he had been on a quiet quest to secure freedom for Maryam, who had been on death row since her sentencing for the murder of her husband.
Speaking alongside the father of Maryam, Garba Sanda, Isa Bello stated that his motivation was purely humanitarian, and that he wanted his daughter-in-law released so she could look after her two young children, and that executing her would not bring back his son.
He explained that, as a devout Muslim, he had long accepted the tragic incident, which has been a subject of public discussion, choosing to forgive and leave judgment to Allah.
Indeed, Bello Isa had previously written to both the then Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), and the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command in 2019, to seek clemency for Sanda.
Although those early appeals went unanswered, the recent pardon granted by President Tinubu under the Presidential Prerogative of Mercy finally brought his request to fruition.
He made the first plea for Sanda to be set free even before her conviction in January 2020. He recalled writing to the Commissioner of Police on 17th January 2019, stating that he had forgiven whoever was responsible for his son’s death, and appealing that the charge be withdrawn “so that my son’s soul could rest in peace according to Islamic injunction.”
BUT the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has opposed Tinubu’s decision to grant presidential pardons to 175 individuals, including convicted drug traffickers, illegal miners, capital offenders, and public officials found guilty of corruption.
In a statement signed by the Executive Director and Head of Transparency International Nigeria, Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani), the group described the mass clemency as “legally questionable, morally wrong, and damaging to Nigeria’s image both locally and internationally.”
“You cannot pardon someone convicted by a foreign court when Nigerian jurisdiction wasn’t involved in the conviction. That is beyond the constitutional powers of the Nigerian president,” Rafsanjani stated.
CISLAC further warned that the decision could significantly undermine international legal cooperation, particularly in areas such as anti-corruption and narcotics control, where Nigeria relies heavily on foreign intelligence, technical support, and collaboration.
