There have been reports, especially on social media and Whatsapp broadcast that Maryam Sanda, the woman convicted and sentenced to death by hanging for killing her husband, had been granted a Presidential pardon.

 
In response to inquiry, the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) said Sanda was still in custody.

A statement by the NCoS spokesperson, Chucks Njoku said: “The attention of Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has been drawn to the news making the rounds that Maryam Sanda was granted presidential pardon last week Thursday April 9th, 2020 alongside some 70 other inmates at the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kuje.

“The Service wants to categorically state that the news is fake and very unrealistic and an attempt to rubbish the good intention of the President towards decongesting the custodial centres.”
While addressing the press conference last week, the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola had clearly stated the categories of inmates qualified for the amnesty to be:

1. Convicts who are Sixty (60) years and above
2. Convicts serving 3 years and above with less than 6 months to serve
3. Inmates with ill-health likely to terminate in death
4. Inmates with mental ill-health
5. Inmates with option of fine not exceeding N50,000 with no pending case
6. Convicted pregnant women
7. Convicted women with child
8. Convicted inmates with minor offences
9. Convicted inmates who spent 75% of their sentence after remission.

It obvious that Maryam Sanda did not meet any of the above mentioned requirements and therefore did not benefit from the Presidential Pardon/Clemency
We further want to assure the public that Maryam Sanda is in our custody and will remain as such.

The Controller General of Corrections Ja’afaru Ahmed wishes to assure the public that the Service will ensure the safety and humane containment of the inmates in our custody and therefore advice the public to discountenance the rumor that Maryam Sanda benefited from the presidential pardon.

Legaldeskng(LDN) recalled that an FCT High Court in Maitama sentenced Sanda to death for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello.

Sanda killed her husband on November 19, 2017, through multiple stabbing.

She was arraigned alongside three other persons, including her mother and brother.

However, the others were discharged because the prosecution was unable to link them to the charges.

The late Bello is a son of a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Haliru Bello.

But the news of her release filtered in on Thursday that President Muhammadu Buhari, who recently granted pardon to five inmates and clemency to another 2,593 prisoners, had pardoned her.