Maryam Sanda, the woman convicted for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, has been granted a presidential pardon after spending more than six years in prison.
Sanda was convicted for stabbing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, son of former People’s Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Haliru Bello, to death during a heated argument at their home in Maitama, Abuja, on Sunday, November 19, 2017. The case drew national attention as images of the couple circulated online.
In January 2020, Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court sentenced Sanda to death by hanging after finding her guilty of premeditated murder.
She was later transferred to the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre, where she remained until her recent release.
On Friday, October 11, 2025, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu granted her clemency as part of a list of 175 inmates who received presidential pardon or sentence reduction. According to the Presidency, the decision followed recommendations from the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, which cited Sanda’s good conduct, remorse, and her responsibility as a mother of two young children as reasons for her inclusion.
However, the decision has stirred mixed reactions across social media. Many Nigerians took to X platform to express outrage and disbelief.
@arojinle1 wrote, “Yorùbá is just all round. I saw the Maryam Sanda news and just one Yorùbá statement came to mind. ‘The one who dies is the ultimate loser. Don’t let them kill you o.’”
@jollz added, “That Maryam Sanda pardon really drives home when Nigerians say ‘na who die, lose’. Kai.”
@basquiatshow said, “They say it’s for the kids, but a case of premeditated murder should never have been considered for pardon. The Lateef Fagbemi and @NGRPresident missed on this one. It’s pure injustice.”
@HiikyaaTor wrote, “Mr Sunday Jackson is sentenced to death for defending himself, yet Maryam Sanda, who stabbed her husband multiple times, gets clemency. What a country!”
@Wasppaping_ summed it up: “Maryam Sanda has been pardoned by President Tinubu. In this country, please don’t let anyone kill you. They will walk free.”
For many, the case underscores a troubling double standard in Nigeria’s justice system where, as one user put it, “na who die, lose.”
