FRESH controversy has erupted within the family of late Bilyaminu Bello, after his biological father, Alhaji Ahmed Bello Isa, publicly declared his forgiveness for his daughter-in-law, Maryam Sanda, who was convicted and sentenced to death for his son’s murder.
News Point Nigeria reports that speaking at a press conference on Tuesday in Abuja, the elderly Bello said he welcomed President Bola Tinubu’s presidential pardon granted to Sanda, describing it as “the will of God” and “an act of mercy that would allow her to care for her two young children.”
“I am happy that the father of the nation has released Maryam so that she can look after her children,” he said.
“We as Muslims accept whatever comes from Almighty Allah. I have forgiven her and bear no grudges against the Federal Government or her family. Vengeance cannot bring back my son, but forgiveness can bring peace.”
President Tinubu had, during Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary celebrations, approved the pardon of 175 convicted persons, including Sanda, who had been on death row following her conviction for killing her husband during a domestic altercation in November 2017.
Sanda, daughter of a former Aso Savings Executive, was sentenced to death by hanging in January 2020 by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, a judgment that was later upheld by the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in 2020 and 2023 respectively.
Her release has, however, sharply divided the late Bilyaminu’s family.
Just a day before Ahmed Bello’s statement, Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed (OFR), former PDP National Chairman and Bilyaminu’s uncle had issued a statement condemning the pardon, calling it “the worst possible injustice any family could be made to go through.”
In the statement made available to News Point Nigeria and signed on behalf of the “bereaved family,” Dr. Mohammed said the pardon had “reopened deep wounds” and rendered Nigeria’s justice system “hollow.”
“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.
The family noted that after years of courtroom battles and multiple appeals, the judiciary had given them closure through the final conviction.
“Although the perpetrator had shown no remorse throughout the saga, the grieving family took solace in the court verdicts and moved on, having painfully come to terms with the fate that life had thrust upon one of our own,” the statement added.
The relatives accused the government of selective mercy, suggesting that the pardon was politically motivated or influenced by Sanda’s family connections.
However, Alhaji Ahmed Bello Isa distanced himself from his brother’s comments, insisting that his stance on forgiveness was personal and rooted in faith.
“That is their personal opinion. I am the father of the deceased, and I have chosen forgiveness,” he told reporters.
“We may not all see things the same way, but I believe this is the right path for peace, for the children, and for Allah’s mercy.”
He revealed that his appeal for clemency dated back to 2019, even before the court pronounced the death sentence, adding that he had written several letters to the then Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), and the FCT Commissioner of Police, seeking leniency for Sanda.
“I had forgiven her long ago. I did not want the death penalty because it will not bring back my son,” he said.
