President Bola Tinubu has pardoned Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for killing her husband.
Presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga stated this on Saturday.
A statement by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said Tinubu pardoned Maryam because “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.”
Onanuga said in addition to the plea from her family, the clemency was s a result of the advice of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, led by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
The committee said “Sanda showed good behaviour, deep remorse, and significant personal change during her time in prison, calling her a model inmate who had truly repented.”
“Her family had also pleaded for her release, citing her efforts at rehabilitation and the need to care for her two children.”
Sanda’s was among the 175 granted clemency by theTinubu, including posthumous pardons for Ken Saro-Wiwa, Major General Mamman Vatsa, and Professor Magaji Garba, as part of the government’s effort to promote national unity and justice reform
Ms Sanda, now 37, “was sentenced to death in 2020 for culpable homicide and had spent six years, eight months at Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre.
Sanda was tried and eventually convicted after she was found guilty of stabbing her husband to death during a spousal dispute.
