By Kabiru Abdulrauf
Nigeria’s justice system is once again in the spotlight after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu granted presidential pardon to 175 convicts and ex-convicts last week, including Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death for killing her husband in 2020.
The decision, announced after the Federal Executive Council’s approval of recommendations from the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, has sparked nationwide debate over justice, morality, and the rule of law.
Nigeria operates a plural legal system combining English common law, Islamic (Sharia) law, and customary law. While Sharia law is applied in the northern states and customary law guides communal justice in the south, both systems coexist under the federal constitution. The mix often leads to differing outcomes in cases involving morality, crime, and mercy.
Maryam Sanda’s case has become the centre of public discussion. Convicted of stabbing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, during a domestic dispute in Abuja, she was sentenced to death by hanging in 2020. Her inclusion in the presidential pardon list has drawn sharp reactions, with critics questioning what message it sends about accountability.
Also pardoned were former lawmaker Farouk Lawan, several death-row inmates, drug offenders, and convicts serving long sentences for corruption and violent crimes. The President also extended posthumous pardons to historical figures such as Herbert Macaulay, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and Major General Mamman Vatsa, in what the Presidency described as an effort to “heal national wounds.”
Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), explained that the pardons followed due process and were granted based on good behaviour, remorse, and rehabilitation. He added that the move reflects the “spirit of mercy” embedded in both Islamic and customary traditions.
But the backlash has been swift as Victims’ rights advocates say the decision weakens the deterrent value of Nigeria’s justice system, while political figures such as Atiku Abubakar and Josef Onoh have urged the President to reconsider, calling it a setback for accountability.
Supporters, however, argue that clemency reflects compassion, a key element of both Sharia and customary justice where forgiveness and reconciliation are valued alongside punishment.
Legal experts say the controversy highlights long-standing contradictions in Nigeria’s justice structure: one foot in colonial law, another in traditional and religious systems. The balance between mercy and justice, they warn, must be carefully managed to preserve public trust.
As the debate continues, the Maryam Sanda pardon stands as a defining moment testing how Nigeria’s diverse legal traditions interpret justice, mercy, and the limits of presidential power.
