I have spent quality time reading the reaction of the family of late Bilyaminu Bello to the Presidential pardon granted his widow, Maryam Sanda, who is on death row for his murder. It was thought-provoking! Thrice, I read the press statement signed by the head of the family, Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed (Dangaladiman Gwandu). Maryam had on November 19, 2017 stabbed Bilyaminu multiple times to death. An Abuja High Court in 2020 convicted and sentenced Maryam to death for the killing. Both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court in judgments delivered on December 4, 2020, and October 27, 2023, respectively, upheld the death sentence on Maryam.
But last week, President Bola Tinubu granted Maryam pardon. She was among the 175 convicted persons pardoned by the President for various criminal offences; some are on death row; some are serving jail sentences and some were pardoned posthumously. The family of late Bilyaminu Bello was devastated by the pardon, accusing Tinubu of inflicting “inexorable pain” on them. They stated that the action of president Tinubu has opened fresh wound when they were yet to be fully healed of the pain caused by the murder of their son.
Dangaladiman Gwandu declared: “One name that stood out for us as a family is that of Maryam Sanda, a lady convicted and sentenced to death for the premeditated and cold-blooded murder of her husband and beloved family member of ours. This latest turn of events, coming just a few years after the dastardly crime that cruelly cut short Bilyaminu’s life has expectedly reopened our healing wounds.
“To have Maryam Sanda walk the face of the earth again, free from any blemish for her heinous crime, as if she had merely squashed an ant, is the worst possible injustice any family could be made to go through for a loved one. Bilyaminu’s family is deeply hurt by this latest development, which we interpret as primarily driven by the sole motivation for appeasing Maryam’s family members by way of extending mercy to a certified convicted murderer, while at the same time overlooking or conveniently ignoring the corresponding inexorable pain that has now been inflicted on the victim’s teeming grieving family members, friends and associates arising from the action.”
Dangaladiman Gwandu is justifiably seething. For me, I would have loved Maryam’s death sentence converted to life in imprisonment. How I wished that was what Tinubu gave her. To pardon Maryam for the gruesome murder carried out eight years ago and to order her release based on some mundane reasons is cruel to the spirit of late Bilyaminu and to his family. Tinubu simply inflicted more pain on them. It is an insult to this family. Honestly, the opposition of late Bilyaminu Bello’s family to the pardon granted to Maryam is defensible. I totally agree that the president’s action “is the worst possible injustice any family could be made to go through for a loved one.”
Mr. President, it is not too late to reverse your action on the case of Maryam Sanda. Cancel the total amnesty and convert her death sentence to life imprisonment. This is the way forward.
The case of Maryam Sanda is just one on the long list of unreasonable pardons granted by Tinubu last week convicted persons. Many should not be on that list. I call them unpardonable pardons. I mean, how do you explain granting amnesty to no fewer than 50 people convicted for drug-related crimes? How do you explain granting clemency to killers, abductors and thieves for showing remorse and learning skills? These were some of Mr. President’s inexplicable actions last week. Tinubu granted presidential amnesties to dozens of convicted drug traffickers and smugglers! He simply weakened justice and bolstered lawbreaking.
By these hopeless amnesties, Tinubu has clearly undermined the war against hard drugs by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency. For years, these NDLEA guys have been risking their lives to combat drug lords; some have been killed in the process. They have worked very hard to prosecute offenders, and secure convictions. Then came this useless amnesties for the criminals by Tinubu.
He is not even worried that the drug lords could come out and go after the NDLEA guys that sent them to jail. By his action, Mr. President has weakened the sacredness of justice. He has sent out a very bad message about the values he upholds.
Former vice President Atiku Abubakar was apropos when he declared: “A presidential pardon is meant to symbolise restitution and moral reforms. Instead, what we have witnessed is a mockery of the criminal justice system, an affront to victims, a demoralization of law enforcement, and a grave injury to the conscience of the nation.
When a government begins to absolve offenders of the very crimes it claims to be fighting, it erodes the moral authority of leadership and emboldens lawlessness.”
Mr. President, you must reverse your unpardonable pardons. They are appalling. Your actions amount to an abuse of the presidential power of prerogative of mercy. Pardons for killers, drug barons and kidnappers must be reversed. Amnesties for those whose actions have directly damaged our country’s economy, image and social order is exasperating.