President Bola Tinubu has revoked the clemency granted to Maryam Sanda, a convict who was sentenced to death for killing her husband in 2017.
Sanda’s name was on the list of those to be released from prison earlier in the month. However, following outrage, the list was withdrawn, while Prince Lateef Fagbemi, Minister of Justice, who chaired the Committee that recommended clemency for the convicts, announced that it would be subjected to further scrutiny.
In a revised list released on Wednesday, Sanda’s name appeared in the “reduced terms of imprisonment” category.
Maryam Sanda’s conviction for the culpable homicide of her husband, whom she stabbed to death during a domestic dispute in their Abuja home, remains one of Nigeria’s most high-profile cases of domestic violence and spousal murder.
Sanda was arraigned before an FCT High Court, where she maintained her innocence throughout the trial.After a protracted legal battle that drew nationwide attention, Justice Yusuf Halilu, in January 2020, found her guilty of killing her husband and sentenced her to death by hanging. She had spent six years and eight months at the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre.
