Alhaji Ahmed Bello Isa, father of the late Bilyaminu Bello, who was murdered by his wife, Maryam Sanda, in 2017, has disclosed that he personally appealed to both former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to grant her a state pardon.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Abuja on Tuesday alongside Alhaji Garba Sanda, father of Maryam, Alhaji Bello said he had long forgiven his daughter-in-law and had made several appeals over the years for her release from death row.
The businessman said his actions were motivated purely by humanitarian and spiritual reasons, noting that executing Maryam would not bring back his son’s life.
“As a devout Muslim, I accepted my son’s death as the will of Allah. Vengeance cannot bring him back, but forgiveness can bring peace to our families,” he said.
According to him, his first formal plea for clemency was submitted in January 2019 to the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, expressing his forgiveness and requesting the withdrawal of charges “so that my son’s soul could rest in peace.” He later reaffirmed this stance through an affidavit sworn at the FCT High Court in June 2019.
Alhaji Bello further revealed that he wrote to the then Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), in 2019 and, more recently, submitted a fresh appeal in December 2024 to President Tinubu titled “Request for Exercise of Prerogative of Mercy for My Daughter-in-Law, Maryam Sanda Sentenced to Death by Hanging.”
“There is nothing more painful than losing a son. But I have forgiven Maryam. If she is executed, who will take care of her two children? They should not suffer the loss of both parents,” he stated in the letter.
Alhaji Bello described President Tinubu’s eventual approval of Sanda’s pardon under the Presidential Prerogative of Mercy as “an answered prayer” and “a relief for both families.”
He lamented that since Maryam’s 2020 conviction, her two children had only been allowed brief visits at the Suleja Correctional Centre, describing the situation as “heartbreaking.”
Responding to reports of family disagreement over his position, he said, “People will always have different opinions. But as a father and a Muslim, I believe forgiveness is the path to peace.”
On his part, Alhaji Garba Sanda, Maryam’s father, expressed deep gratitude to the Bello family for their compassion and rare magnanimity.
“This is a true act of faith and reconciliation. We pray that both families continue to heal and that the children grow up surrounded by love,” he said.
Both families have since pledged to work together to raise the two children in an atmosphere of peace, unity, and mutual respect — turning a once tragic story into one of forgiveness and hope.
