Nigerians have taken to social media to express their views following reports that President Bola Tinubu granted presidential pardon to Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello.
Mr Bello, the son of former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman Haliru Bello, was killed in November 2017 at the couple’s residence in Abuja.
The Federal Capital Territory High Court, presided over by Justice Yusuf Halilu, found Ms. Sanda guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced her to death by hanging in January 2020.
A statement released on Saturday, by the president’s special adviser on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, announced that Sanda was among 175 inmates who received clemency.
According to Mr Onanuga, the pardon followed recommendations by the presidential advisory committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by attorney-general of the federation Lateef Fagbemi.
He said Sanda’s family appealed for her release, citing the welfare of her two children, her conduct while in custody and her demonstration of remorse.
She had spent six years and eight months at the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre before the pardon.
The list of beneficiaries also included those convicted of illegal mining, drug-related offences and other crimes.
The announcement has since generated widespread reactions on X.
One user wrote, “Most of the people Tinubu pardoned are exactly the ones who should still be in prison. Maryam Sanda killed her husband, got a death sentence yet Tinubu set her free after just five years.”
Another user commented, “This Maryam Sanda gist is a distraction. Her husband will get justice where there’s only one judge, and he’s just. Pardoning those drug dealers and Faruk Lawan tells a clear story.”
A third user wrote, “Whatever reason might have been presented to justify the pardon could never have been enough to justify freeing a convicted murderer.”
Another added, “Maryam Sanda who stabbed her husband to death has been granted clemency for the sake of her children. In conclusion, the husband died in vain.”
One user also said, “What message is the government passing by pardoning someone convicted of killing her husband while others face death for lesser offences?”
