Supreme Court Overrules Tinubu, Reinstates Maryam Sanda’s Death Sentence
...says President acted outside his powers
The Supreme Court has overuled President Bola Tinubu’s clemency granted Mayram Sanda who was convicted of killing her husband.
President Tinubu had in exercise of his powers granted clemency to Ms Sanda alongside 70 other convicts, a decision that drew public condemnation.
However, delivering judgement on Friday on the appeal filed by Ms Sanda seeking to upturn her death penalty conviction by an FCT High Court, the Supreme Court in majority judgment of 4-1 ruled that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that Ms Sanda killed her husband and therefore was rightly convicted.
The apex court effectively overturned President Bola Tinubu’s decision to commute the death sentence of Maryam Sanda, stating that the Executive acted outside its constitutional powers by granting clemency while her appeal was still active in court.
Reading the lead judgment, Justice Moore Adumein said that, “It was wrong for the Executive to exercise its power of pardon over a case of culpable homicide in which an appeal was pending.”
Mayram Sanda was convicted in 2020 by the FCT High Court for killing her husband, Billy Aminu Aliyu, a Son of a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in their Maitama Abuja home.
The FCT High Court verdict had earlier been upheld by the Court of Appeal Abuja division
