Relatives of the late Bilyaminu Bello, murdered by his wife Maryam Sanda in 2017, have fiercely criticized Alhaji Ahmed Bello Isa, who claims to be Bilyaminu’s father, for endorsing her recent presidential pardon. Sanda, convicted and sentenced to death in January 2020 for stabbing Bello during a domestic dispute in Abuja, was among 175 individuals pardoned by President Bola Tinubu on October 11, following approval by the National Council of State.
In a statement, Dr. Bello Mohammed, representing some relatives, called the pardon “the worst possible injustice” to the family. During a press conference in Abuja, Isa, alongside Sanda’s father, Alhaji Garba Sanda, expressed support for the clemency, citing his Muslim faith and the need for Sanda to care for her two children. “I have forgiven her and bear no grudges. Vengeance cannot bring back my son, but forgiveness can bring peace,” Isa said, revealing he had sought leniency since 2019, including letters to the Attorney General and FCT Police Commissioner.
Garba Sanda praised Isa’s compassion, expressing hope for healing and love for the children. However, relatives, including Hafiz Usman, condemned Isa as an absentee father. Usman, in a Facebook post, claimed he had never seen Isa in Bilyaminu’s life, calling his sudden appearance “shameful.”
Journalist Mahmud Jega, close to Bilyaminu’s family, detailed Isa’s absence. He noted that Isa, a retired storekeeper, married Bilyaminu’s mother in 1980, but after her death post-childbirth in 1981, he vanished. Bilyaminu was raised by his grandmother and uncle, Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed, a former PDP National Chairman. Jega highlighted that Isa never attended Bilyaminu’s weddings, met his grandchildren, or participated in the court trials, suggesting Sanda’s influential family orchestrated Isa’s emergence to reframe the narrative. “Who truly loved Bilyaminu—the absent father or the maternal family that fought for justice?” Jega asked.
