Presidential Pardon: Why Maryam Sanda, 85 convicts got lesser sentences– AGF
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Latest Fagbemi (SAN), given reasons why President Tinubu reviewed the list of 175 convicts that were initially penciled down for presidential pardon.
In a statement released, the Attorney-General said the review was to ensure that only persons that met stipulated legal and procedural requirements benefitted from the prerogative of mercy.
“During this final review, few persons earlier recommended were found not to have met the necessary requirements and were accordingly delisted, while in some other cases, sentences were reviewed and reduced to reflect fairness, justice, and the spirit of the exercise” the statement reads
Earlier today, the Presidency released the final list of persons that were granted clemency. According to the list released, 86 persons whose sentences were reduced by President Tinubu, included Maryam Sanda, the daughter in-law of a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who was facing the capital punishment for culpable homicide.
An Abuja high court had on January 27, 2020, sentenced Maryam to death by hanging after she was found guilty of stabbing her husband, Bilyamin Bello, to death at their Abuja residence in 2017.
Though she has been at the Suleja prison for six years and eight months, with the presidential pardon, FG reduced her total sentence to 12 years, “based on compassionate ground, in the best interest of the children, good conduct, embraced new lifestyle, model to prisoners and remorsefulness.”
Also in the list included one Chukwukelu Sunday Calistus, whose life imprisonment for drug related offences was reduced to 20 years after he had spent 11 years in prison.
Yusuf Owolabi, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2015 for manslaughter, also had his punishment reduced to 15 years after he had served for 10 years, while Ifeanyi Eze who was facing a similar punishment over the same offence, also got his sentence reduced to 15 years after his four years stay in prison.
Another convict that was facing life imprisonment for armed robbery and possession of illegal firearm, Mallam Ibrahim Sulaiman, was okayed to stay in prison for only 15 years having already served for two years.
Other beneficiaries included one Samson Ajayi who bagged 15-year jail term in 2022. His sentence was reduced to 10 years, while Alhaji Abubakar Tanko had his 30 years sentence for culpable homicide reduced to 20 years after he had served for seven years.
One Nnamdi Anene who was convicted in 2010 and sentenced to life imprisonment for illegal dealing of arms, was pardoned to serve only 20 years.
Other convicts on the list were sentenced for lesser offences that included unlawful mining, conspiracy to hijack fishing vessel, forgery, obtaining by false pretence, possession of cannabis, fraud, and criminal breach of trust.
The beneficiaries were said to have been remorseful, of good conduct in the prison, acquired vocational skills, or improved their education.
Similarly, in three other separate lists, FG disclosed that whereas 15 persons were granted clemency, 15 others that included Saro Wiwa and Herbert Macaulay, were listed as those that got pardoned, while four others had their death sentences commuted to life imprisonment.
See the full list below
