Alhaji Ahmed Bello Isa, father of the late Bilyaminu Bello, says his decision to seek a presidential pardon for Maryam Sanda, who murdered his son in 2017, was guided by faith and humanity, not sympathy.
Alhaji Ahmed Bello Isa, father of the late Bilyaminu Bello, has said his appeal to President Bola Tinubu to pardon his daughter-in-law, Maryam Sanda, was an act of faith and compassion.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Abuja, Alhaji Bello revealed he had earlier written to former President Muhammadu Buhari and the Attorney-General in 2019, asking that Sanda be spared execution.
“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.
Bello described Tinubu’s approval of the pardon as a relief, noting that Maryam’s two children had endured years of limited contact with their mother in prison.
Maryam’s father, Alhaji Garba Sanda, thanked the Bello family for what he called “a true act of faith and reconciliation,” adding that both families now hope to raise the children together in peace.