KEY POINTS
- The Bello family says Tinubu’s presidential pardon reopens their grief.
- They describe the decision as a betrayal of justice.
- The family vows to seek comfort in divine judgment.
The late Bilyaminu Bello’s family condemned President Bola Tinubu for pardoning Maryam Sanda, who murdered her husband and received a death sentence.
Dr. Bello Mohammed, speaking for the family, described the clemency as “the worst possible injustice any family could endure.”
The family said Tinubu’s decision to pardon Sanda among 175 inmates on October 9 under his Prerogative of Mercy initiative has “reopened painful wounds that had barely healed.”
“To have Maryam Sanda walk free as though she merely squashed an ant is unbearable,” the statement read.
Justice undone by the presidential pardon, family says
The Bello family said Sanda never showed remorse during her trial or imprisonment, noting that both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court upheld her conviction.
The family said they had finally found closure after years of legal battles, only for the presidential pardon to undo that sense of justice.
“This latest turn of events has reopened our healing wounds,” the statement said, accusing the Federal Government of prioritizing “appeasement” of Sanda’s relatives over respect for the rule of law. They also said the clemency disregarded the pain of Bilyaminu’s loved ones and reduced him to “a mere statistic.”
Family questions mercy grounds for presidential pardon
Furthermore, the statement faulted claims that appeals from Sanda’s family influenced her release, arguing that she deprived her own children of their father’s love.
“It is ironic that the same children used to elicit sympathy were once denied the joy of knowing a father’s affection,” it said.
Finally the family said they take solace only in divine justice, declaring, “The ultimate judgment rests with the Supreme Judge and Creator.”
