President Bola Tinubu has granted a presidential pardon to Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for the killing of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello.

Sanda, who has spent six years and eight months at the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre, was among 175 Nigerians and foreigners granted clemency by the President under the exercise of his prerogative of mercy.

In a statement released on Saturday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the decision followed the recommendation of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).

According to Onanuga, Sanda’s family had pleaded for her release, citing the welfare of her two children, her good conduct in prison, remorse, and commitment to rehabilitation as grounds for leniency.

“Her family pleaded for her release, arguing that it was in the best interest of her two children. The plea was also anchored on her good conduct in jail, her remorse, and her embracement of a new lifestyle, demonstrating her commitment to being a model prisoner,” the statement read.

The Presidency described the clemency as one of the most far-reaching exercises of presidential mercy in recent history, noting that it also included posthumous pardons for late figures such as environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, Major General Mamman Vatsa, and other members of the “Ogoni Nine.”

Sanda’s case attracted national attention after Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, convicted her on January 27, 2020, for fatally stabbing her husband during a domestic dispute.

“She should reap what she has sown, for it has been said that ‘thou shall not kill,’ and whoever kills in cold blood deserves death as his own reward,” Justice Halilu had declared while delivering judgment.

Her appeal, which challenged the conviction on 20 grounds, was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on December 3, 2020, with Justice Stephen Adah affirming the lower court’s ruling.

“The circumstances surrounding the death can be the best proof of what is being alleged,” Justice Adah stated, reinforcing the trial court’s findings.

Following the appeal court decision, the police had expressed confidence in defending the verdict before the Supreme Court, with Police Counsel James Idachaba saying, “We are satisfied with the findings of the trial and appeals court, and we are prepared to defend the law’s position at the Supreme Court.”

The full pardon list released by the Presidency is divided into six categories: individuals granted full pardon, posthumous pardons, victims of the Ogoni Nine honoured, clemency beneficiaries, inmates with reduced sentences, and inmates on death row whose sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.