Presidency Breaks Silence on Maryam Sanda’s Release, Says It Was Clemency

The Presidency has explained that President Bola Tinubu’s intervention in the case of Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for killing her husband, was an act of clemency, not a pardon.

In an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, clarified the difference and stressed that President Tinubu acted out of compassion rather than exoneration.

According to reports, Onanuga described Sanda’s case as a “crime of passion” — one committed in the heat of emotion rather than through premeditation. He emphasized that the President’s decision to grant clemency was influenced by humanitarian considerations, particularly the welfare of Sanda’s children.

“Maryam Sanda was given clemency, not a pardon. Her kids were put into consideration. It was a crime of passion, not premeditated,” Onanuga said. “The President is a compassionate man. He listens to the public and understands that people can act irrationally in the heat of an argument.”

Onanuga further explained that President Tinubu has demonstrated his willingness to review decisions and act with empathy when the situation calls for it. “This President is not afraid to reverse himself. He’s been considerate about this because he’s human — capable of making mistakes but always ready to correct them when necessary,” he said.

He added that while the crime was serious and justice had been served through conviction, the President’s decision to commute the death sentence to 12 years imprisonment was a way of balancing justice with mercy. The aim, he said, was not to undermine the judiciary but to ensure that the punishment did not completely destroy the life of the convict’s children.

Onanuga also remarked that conflicts within relationships can sometimes escalate uncontrollably, leading to tragic outcomes. “Anything can happen between a man and a woman in the heat of the moment. The President was moved by compassion and by the understanding that the act wasn’t planned or deliberate,” he explained.

The case of Maryam Sanda, which shocked the nation in 2020, involved the fatal stabbing of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, during a domestic dispute in Abuja. Her conviction was upheld after a lengthy legal process, and she was sentenced to death by hanging.

However, following public appeals and widespread debate about the morality of the death penalty in domestic violence cases, President Tinubu recently commuted her sentence. The decision, though controversial, has been praised in some quarters as an act of mercy aligned with modern humanitarian principles.

Onanuga concluded that President Tinubu’s action should be seen as an expression of empathy, not weakness. “The President acted as a father and a leader who understands that justice must go hand in hand with mercy. He didn’t pardon her; he simply reduced her sentence, ensuring that while she pays for her crime, her children are not punished alongside her,” he said.