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Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has expressed support for the presidential pardon earlier granted to Maryam Sanda, describing it as an act of mercy consistent with Islamic teachings.
Sanda was sentenced to death in 2020 for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, during a domestic dispute.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had granted her and 174 others a state pardon, but public outrage over the decision led to its revocation. The presidency later commuted Sanda’s sentence to 12 years imprisonment on “compassionate grounds.”
Reacting in a Facebook post on Thursday, Sheikh Gumi said Sanda’s actions were not premeditated but influenced by the devil, adding that her remorse showed repentance.
“They said she stabbed him, then broke down crying over his body. Do you understand? That is the work of Shaytan,” he wrote.
The cleric further argued that forgiveness from the victim’s family made the pardon both lawful and spiritually acceptable in Islam.“
The family of the deceased said, ‘We have forgiven her.’ May Allah protect us all. Ameen,” he added.
Gumi said Islam values mercy over vengeance, explaining that forgiveness is a sign of strength, not weakness.
“In Islam, when the family of the victim forgives, it is not a weakness, it is mercy. And mercy is more beloved to Allah than vengeance,” he wrote.
He stressed that executing Sanda would not have solved the problem, adding that the decision to pardon her was the right one.
“Maryam Sanda’s execution would not have been the right solution. The presidential pardon she received was the correct one. In Islam, justice is not driven by anger but by balance and compassion,” he said.
Sheikh Gumi backs presidential pardon for Maryam Sanda, calls It act of mercy
