In a recent ruling, a five-member panel of justices from the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of a woman convicted of murdering her husband, Bilyamin Bello, in 2017. The court, in a split judgment of four to one, reaffirmed the previous decisions made by lower courts, stating that the prosecution had proven her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The lead verdict, delivered by Justice Moore Adumein, emphasized that the Court of Appeal’s upholding of the trial court’s sentence was sound and could not be challenged.
The Supreme Court also criticized President Bola Tinubu for attempting to grant her a pardon while her appeal was still pending, asserting that such an action was inappropriate for the head of the executive branch in a case involving culpable homicide. The woman had been sentenced to death by hanging by an Abuja high court in January 2020, following her conviction.
Despite spending nearly seven years in Suleja prison, President Tinubu had previously exercised his executive powers to reduce her sentence to 12 years. The Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), justified her inclusion in a recent presidential pardon based on compassionate grounds, noting her good conduct, transformation, and remorsefulness during her incarceration, as well as the welfare of her children.
