SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS FG, CONFIRMS DEATH SENTENCE FOR MARYAM SANDA
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BY JENN NOMAMIUKOR
The Supreme Court on Friday confirmed the death sentence given to Maryam Sanda, the daughter-in-law of a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for her involvement in a crime that resulted in a person‘s death.
A high court in Abuja sentenced her to death by hanging on January 27, 2020, after she was convicted of killing her husband, Bilyamin Bello, by stabbing him to death at their home in Abuja in 2017.
Though she had already served about six years and eight months at the Suleja prison, President Bola Tinubu used his executive powers to reduce her total sentence to 12 years.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, explained that her inclusion in the recent presidential pardon was based on “compassionate ground and in the best interest of the children.”
He mentioned some of the qualities that led to her clemency, including “good conduct, embracing a new lifestyle, being a model to other prisoners, and showing remorse.”
Meanwhile, a five-member panel of justices from the apex court, in a split decision of four to one, on Friday, restated the judicial ruling that ordered her death by hanging.
The court resolved all the issues she raised to overturn her conviction and sentence, and dismissed her appeal because it lacked merit.
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In the lead opinion delivered by Justice Moore Adumein, the apex court stated that the prosecution proved her guilt beyond any reasonable doubt.
The court also said that the Court of Appeal’s decision, which upheld the original sentence from the trial court, was firm and could not be challenged.
The Supreme Court ruled that it was incorrect for President Tinubu, as the head of the executive branch, to try to use his pardon powers in a case involving culpable homicide, especially when an appeal was still pending.
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