Reactions have followed President Bola Tinubu’s revocation of the presidential pardon previously given convicted husband killer, Maryam Sanda, and some drug traffickers, among other high-profile criminals.
The Presidency nonetheless commuted Sanda’s death sentence to 12 years’ imprisonment on compassionate grounds. Her name was among the new Reduced Terms of Imprisonment and Sentence List announced on Wednesday by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN.
The screening was done in line with the order of Tinubu to re-screen the recent clemency list of 175 convicts, to remove those who were found guilty of serious crimes like murder, kidnapping, and drug trafficking, the Presidency said.
In affirming the review, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga explained that the death sentence of Sanda was commuted, and not pardoned, in order to balance justice and compassion. “Justice is a three-way traffic for the accused, the victim, and the state,” he said.
Sanda’s prison sentence was reduced “on compassionate grounds, in the best interest of her children and good behavior in prison,” the gazette stated. She has already served six years and eight months in detention at the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre.
The review followed an outrage by civil society organizations and the family of her late husband, Bilyaminu Bello, over the inclusion of violent criminals in the first batch of the list okayed by the National Council of State on October 9, 2025.
President Tinubu also directed the movement of the Secretariat of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy to the Ministry of Justice and requested the Attorney-General to come up with more stringent guidelines for future exercises in clemency.
In the meantime, lawyers have supported the move by Tinubu, citing that it is one of his constitutional rights. Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mohammed Ndarani, explained that the President acted in his discretion as provided for in the 1999 Constitution. Another lawyer, Abdul Balogun, SAN, also explained that both the pardon and its review were within law and could not be questioned except via a constitutional amendment.
Nonetheless, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar faulted the review, blaming the government for only acting because of public outcry.
“Tinubu’s U-turn is not a decision made from wisdom but one made out of shame,” Atiku wrote in a statement released by his media adviser, Phrank Shaibu. “If Nigerians had remained silent, would convicted drug barons and kidnappers be out of jail today?”
He dared the Presidency to release the full list of intended beneficiaries, stating the incident revealed “a government that governs without foresight, compassion, or shame.”
Atiku called the whole debacle a “national embarrassment” and called for more transparency in future presidential clemency decisions.
