Supreme Court Sentences Maryam Sanda To Death

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has sentenced Maryam Sanda, a homemaker from Abuja who was found guilty of murdering her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, during a heated family argument, to death by hanging.

This is coming after President Bola Tinubu had earlier this year granted her presidential pardon and commuted her punishment to just 12 years behind bars.

Back in 2020, an FCT High Court handed down a death-by-hanging sentence to Sanda, a ruling later confirmed by the Abuja Court of Appeal.

However, in a closely divided 4-1 ruling delivered today, December 12, 2025, the Supreme Court reinstated the original death sentence. The justices threw out Sanda’s final appeal, deeming it without substance and addressing every point she raised.

Delivering the majority opinion, Justice Moore Adumein emphasized that the evidence clearly established Sanda’s guilt in the unlawful killing, with no room for doubt. He further criticized the pardon as an improper use of executive authority, especially since it came while her appeal was still active in a homicide matter. The lone dissenting voice came from one justice, though specifics weren’t detailed in the judgment.