Supreme Court Overrides FG’s Pardon, Gives Final Verdict on Maryam Sanda
- The Supreme Court has overruled President Bola Tinubu's presidential pardon to an Abuja-based housewife, Maryam Sanda
- Sanda was sentenced to death by hanging in 2020 for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, when they were having a domestic dispute
- Recall that the appeal was already at the Supreme Court before the president granted the presidential pardon to her
The Supreme Court has overturned the presidential pardon granted to an Abuja-based housewife, Maryam Sanda, by President Bola Tinubu. Sanda was sentenced to death by hanging in 2020 for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, during a clash.
In his pardon list, President Tinubu reduced the sentencing to 12 years imprisonment on compassionate grounds.
Source: Twitter
However, in a fresh ruling on Friday, December 12, 2025, the Supreme Court, in a judgment of four-to-one, affirmed the death sentence handed to the Sanda by the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja earlier upheld the ruling of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which sentenced her to death by hanging.
How Supreme Court overruled Tinubu's pardon
According to The Nation, the apex court resolved all the matters she raised in the appeal that were filed against her and dismissed all of them for lack of merit.
Delivering the majority opinion, Justice Moore Adumein emphasised that the evidence clearly established Sanda's guilt in the unlawful killing, with no room for doubt.
He further criticised the pardon as an improper use of executive authority, especially since it came while her appeal was still active in the matter. The lone dissenting voice came from one justice, though specifics weren't detailed in the judgment.
The Supreme Court judgment was actually in the pipeline before FG's pardon.
Tinubu's pardon: Reactions trail Supreme Court's ruling
The Supreme Court judgment has started generating reactions from some Nigerians. Below are some of their reactions:
Pastor Bee questioned the Supreme Court's authority on presidential pardons:
"Do they have such powers to overturn a presidential pardon?"
Hassan asked the same question:
"What time Supreme Court get the power to overturn a presidential pardon in the first place?? There’s a reason it’s called presidential prerogative of mercy."
Source: Twitter
Aliyu Isa Mohammed commented:
"The most appropriate punishment for murder, from both a secular and religious justice perspective, is a sentence that truly reflects the gravity of the crime. In that sense, pardoning Maryam Sanda was a serious misjudgment. It undermines accountability and sends the wrong message about justice, fairness, and the value of human life."
Mubarak commended the ruling:
"I commend the Supreme Court. Nigerian’s always do anyhow without fear of consequence because they feel our judicial system is lenient. We need to punish wrongdoers in order to set an example for people to be law-abiding and disciplined."
See more reactions here:
Atiku, ADC blast Tinubu over presidential pardon
In a previous story, Legit.ng reported that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said that President Bola Tinubu's presidential pardoning of convicted drug traffickers would only serve to embolden criminality and weaken the rule of law.
The African Democratic Congress also condemned the mass clemency as a betrayal of NDLEA officers and a setback to Nigeria’s global reputation, with opposition figures warning that the country was being painted as a 'soft target'.
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
