President Bola Tinubu has revoked the clemency granted to Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to de@th for k!lling her husband in 2017.

Sanda’s name was on the list of those to be released from prison earlier this month.

However, following public outrage, the list was withdrawn, while Prince Lateef Fagbemi, Minister of Justice, who chaired the Committee that recommended clemency for the convicts, announced that it would be subjected to further scrutiny.

In a revised list released on Wednesday, Oct. 29, Sanda’s name appeared in the “reduced terms of imprisonment” category.

Her sentence has been commuted from a de@th sentence to 12 years imprisonment. This means she is expected to spend about five more years as she has spent 7 years in prison.

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President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday, October 29, that Russia has successfully tested a nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered underwater drone, known as Poseidon, marking Moscow’s second test of an advanced nuclear weapons system in just a few days.

The declaration came only days after Putin oversaw the test of another nuclear-capable weapon, the Burevestnik cruise missile, which he described as having an “unlimited range.” US President Donald Trump had criticised that earlier test as “not appropriate.”

“Yesterday, another test was conducted for another prospective system, the unmanned underwater device ‘Poseidon,’ also equipped with a nuclear power unit,” Putin said in televised remarks during a visit to a military hospital treating Russian soldiers wounded in Ukraine.

Putin claimed the drone torpedo is impossible to intercept, boasting that it can travel faster than conventional submarines and reach any continent in the world. He said no other country possesses similar capabilities and that it was unlikely any would develop them soon.

According to Russia’s state news agency TASS, the Poseidon can operate at a depth of over one kilometre and travel at speeds of up to 70 knots while remaining undetectable. The weapon, first tested in 2018, is reportedly capable of carrying a nuclear warhead of up to two megatons.

Putin’s announcement defied Trump’s renewed calls for Moscow to focus on ending the ongoing war in Ukraine, now approaching its fourth year. “He ought to get the war ended. A war that should have taken one week is now soon in its fourth year,” Trump said earlier this week.

The US president recently cancelled a planned summit with Putin in Budapest, citing the Russian leader’s unwillingness to compromise on Ukraine. Washington has since imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, accusing the Kremlin of stonewalling peace efforts.

Putin first revealed the existence of both the Burevestnik missile and the Poseidon underwater drone in 2018 during a combative address condemning Western policies and asserting Russia’s growing strategic military strength.

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President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate removal of all individuals convicted of serious crimes such as kidnapping, drug trafficking, human trafficking, fraud, and unlawful possession of firearms from the list of those granted presidential pardon under the federal government’s prerogative of mercy.

The decision followed consultations with the Council of State and consideration of public opinion, according to a statement on Wednesday, October 29, by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.

Onanuga said Tinubu directed a further review of the previously approved list of pardons, exercising his discretionary powers under Section 175(1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“Certain persons convicted of serious crimes such as kidnapping, drug-related offences, human trafficking, fraud, unlawful possession of firearms and arms dealing were deleted from the list,” the statement read. “Others who had been pardoned in the old list had their sentences commuted.”

He explained that the review was necessary due to the seriousness and security implications of the offences involved, the need to respect the feelings of victims and society at large, and to uphold the morale of law enforcement agencies while honouring Nigeria’s bilateral obligations.

“The concept of justice as a three-way traffic, for the accused, the victim, and the state or society, also guided the review,” Onanuga added.

He said the final list of eligible beneficiaries had been transmitted to the Nigerian Correctional Service for implementation in line with the duly signed instruments of release.

Onanuga also noted that some convicts who were initially granted full pardons had their sentences reduced instead. In addition, Tinubu ordered the relocation of the Secretariat of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy from the Federal Ministry of Special Duties to the Federal Ministry of Justice.

The development follows public criticism of the presidential pardon announced on October 9, which granted clemency to 175 people, including nationalist Herbert Macaulay, former lawmaker Farouk Lawan, and Major General Mamman Vatsa, who was executed in 1986 over alleged treason.

The inclusion of individuals convicted of drug-related crimes and murder, such as Maryam Sanda, sentenced to death for killing her husband, sparked widespread outrage. In response, Attorney-General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi had earlier promised that the list would undergo a thorough review, noting that the process involved multiple stages of verification.

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