Gumi Backs Presidential Pardon for Maryam Sanda, Says Forgiveness Is Superior to Vengeance

|By Chinwendu Nwani

Prominent Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has defended the presidential pardon initially granted to Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello.

Gumi described the pardon as “the best way to go,” insisting that forgiveness in Sanda’s case aligns with Islamic principles of mercy and repentance.

President Bola Tinubu had earlier granted clemency to Sanda and 174 other inmates, including drug traffickers and fraudsters. However, widespread criticism forced the presidency to revoke the pardon. The President, through his media aide, Bayo Onanuga, later announced that Sanda’s sentence had been commuted to 12 years imprisonment on compassionate grounds, considering her children.

Reacting via a Facebook post, Gumi argued that Sanda’s remorse after committing the crime was evidence that “it was the work of Shaytan.”

“They said she stabbed him, then broke down crying over his body. Do you understand? That is the work of Shaytan,” he wrote. “So, when she was pardoned, people began to speak without knowledge. They do not understand the ruling of forgiveness in Islamic law.”

The cleric further stated that the victim’s family had already forgiven Sanda, describing their decision as both lawful and spiritually rewarding.

“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,” Gumi said.

He concluded that executing Sanda would not have been the right solution, emphasizing that true justice in Islam “is not driven by anger, but by balance and compassion.”