The family of the late Bilyaminu Bello has condemned the presidential pardon granted to his wife, Maryam Sanda, who was convicted and sentenced to death for his murder.

In a statement issued on Monday, Dr. Bello Mohammed, speaking on behalf of the family, described President Bola Tinubu’s decision to include Sanda among the 175 inmates recently pardoned under the Prerogative of Mercy as “the worst possible injustice any family could be made to go through.”

 “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,” the statement read in part.

The family recalled that Sanda was convicted by the FCT High Court on January 27, 2020, for the premeditated murder of her husband, and that the conviction was upheld by both the Court of Appeal on December 4, 2020, and the Supreme Court on October 27, 2023.

According to them, those rulings provided a measure of closure after years of grief, only for the presidential pardon to reopen old wounds.

“Although the perpetrator had shown no remorse throughout the saga, the grieving family took solace in the judgments and moved on, having painfully come to terms with the fate that life had thrust upon one of our own.

This latest turn of events, coming just a few years after the dastardly crime, has reopened our healing wounds,” the statement said.

The family expressed dismay that, despite the gravity of the offence and the painstaking judicial process, the government chose to extend clemency to Sanda, allegedly following appeals from her family.

 “We interpret this decision as being driven by a desire to appease Maryam’s family while disregarding the corresponding pain inflicted on the victim’s loved ones,” it said.

The statement further accused the Federal Government of undermining the justice system and dehumanising the victim, adding that the decision reduced Bilyaminu to “a mere statistic among the countless victims of violent crimes in Nigeria.”

“We are compelled to issue this statement to humanise Bilyaminu, who is now suddenly being made to appear as if he is just another faceless, anonymous victim,” the family said.

They also faulted the grounds of appeal used to secure Sanda’s release, noting that she deprived her own children of their father’s love and care.

“Maryam, let’s not forget, had earlier denied the same children now used to elicit sympathy and secure her release the opportunity to know what a father’s love means,” the statement added.

The family said it remains deeply hurt but takes solace in divine justice.

“We take solace in the simple fact that in such matters, the ultimate and comprehensive justice resides purely with the Supreme Judge and our Creator, who will dispense this matter on the Day of Recompense,” the statement concluded.

President Tinubu last week approved the release of 175 inmates across Nigeria under the Prerogative of Mercy policy, which allows clemency on humanitarian grounds. Among those pardoned was Maryam Sanda, who was convicted in 2020 for stabbing her husband to death at their Abuja home on November 19, 2017.