President Bola Tinubu has withdrawn the clemency earlier granted to Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, in 2017.
Sanda’s name was initially included in the list of inmates slated for release earlier this month.
But following public outrage, the list was suspended for review.
Prince Lateef Fagbemi, minister of justice and chairman of the clemency committee, said the review was necessary to ensure transparency and fairness.
In a revised list released on Wednesday, Sanda’s name appeared under the ‘reduced terms of imprisonment’ category.
Her death sentence has now been commuted to 12 years imprisonment.
Having spent about seven years in custody, she is expected to serve roughly five more years.
Sanda’s conviction for the culpable homicide of her husband during a domestic dispute in their Abuja home remains one of Nigeria’s most widely followed cases of spousal murder.
Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High Court found her guilty in January 2020 and sentenced her to death by hanging.
Before the sentence was commuted, she had spent six years and eight months at the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre.
