Culpable Homicide: Supreme Court Faults Tinubu’s Pardon for Maryam Sanda

*Affirms death sentence

Alex Enumah in Abuja

The Supreme Court on Friday, faulted the pardon granted by President Bola Tinubu to an Abuja-based house wife, Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death by hanging in 2020, for killing her husband, Billyaminu Bello.

The apex court in a majority judgment of four-to-one, held that the president was wrong in pardoning the convict while her appeal was still pending at the apex court.

Recall that the convict had approached the apex court to set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which had affirmed the judgment of death by hanging, handed down by a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Sanda was sentenced to death by Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High Court on January 27, 2020, haven found her guilty of culpable homicide.

Before the apex court could deliver judgment in Sanda’s appeal, President Tinubu in the exercise of his presidential powers of mercy, in October this year reduced Sanda’s sentence to 12 years imprisonment.

However, delivering judgment in the appeal on Friday, the apex court frowned at the conduct of the executive in granting pardon to a person who was yet to complete her court case.

The apex court in the majority judgment went ahead to affirm the concurrent death sentence handed Sanda by both the Court of Appeal and trial court.

Justice Moore Adumein, who delivered the lead judgment subsequently resolved all the issues raised in the appeal against the appellant and dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit.

According to him, the prosecution proved the case beyond reasonable doubt as required, adding that the Court of Appeal was right to have affirmed the judgment of the trial court.

Details later.