Supreme Court Nullifies Tinubu’s Clemency, Reinstates Maryam Sanda’s Death Sentence

Supreme Court Nullifies Tinubu’s Clemency, Reinstates Maryam Sanda’s Death Sentence

The Supreme Court has overturned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to commute the death sentence of Maryam Sanda, ruling that the President acted outside his constitutional powers by granting clemency while her appeal was still before the judiciary.

In its landmark judgment delivered on Friday, the apex court held that executive clemency cannot be applied to any case that has not reached its final legal conclusion. The ruling nullifies the President’s earlier action, which had reduced Sanda’s sentence to 12 years’ imprisonment, and restores the original death penalty.

Sanda was convicted in 2020 by an FCT High Court for the murder of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello—a case that gripped the nation and generated intense public interest. Her conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeal, after which the case proceeded to the Supreme Court.

President Tinubu’s commutation of her sentence earlier this year triggered widespread public debate, drawing criticism from civil society groups and strong objections from the victim’s family.

Delivering judgment, the Supreme Court stressed that granting clemency during the pendency of an appeal undermines judicial authority and violates the constitutional separation of powers.

With this decision, the death sentence handed to Sanda is now reinstated as the final and binding verdict in the high-profile murder case.

Supreme Court Nullifies Tinubu’s Clemency, Reinstates Maryam Sanda’s Death Sentence