The death sentence of Maryam Sanda, who was convicted in 2017 for the murder of her husband, has been commuted to 12 years’ imprisonment.

Sanda’s name was listed under the “reduced terms of imprisonment” and “sentence list” released on Wednesday by Lateef Fagbemi, the attorney-general of the federation (AGF).

More to come…

President Bola Tinubu has directed that individuals convicted of kidnapping, drug trafficking, human trafficking, fraud, and unlawful possession of firearms be removed from the list of beneficiaries of the federal government’s prerogative of mercy.

The decision, according to a statement released on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, the president’s special adviser on information and strategy, followed Tinubu’s consultations with the Council of State and a review of public opinion on the matter.

“President Tinubu has ordered the exclusion of persons convicted for kidnapping, drug trafficking, human trafficking, fraud, and unlawful possession of firearms from the list of beneficiaries under the federal government’s prerogative of mercy,” the statement read in part.

“This decision was reached after due consultations with the Council of State and in response to concerns raised by members of the public.”

The move is understood to be part of a broader effort to strengthen public confidence in the government’s justice system and ensure that acts considered severe threats to national security are not treated with leniency.

The prerogative of mercy, often exercised by the president on the recommendation of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy, allows for the pardon or sentence reduction of certain categories of prisoners.

Tinubu’s review comes amid growing public concern over the inclusion of convicts with serious offences in recent state and federal pardon lists, a development that had sparked criticism from rights advocates and legal experts.

Further details on the revised list of beneficiaries are expected to be released in the coming days.

The University of Lagos (UNILAG) says there has been no new hike in undergraduate tuition fees, attributing recent changes visible on student portals to a directive by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFund) aimed at consolidating charges.

On Tuesday, students raised concerns after noticing updated fees on their portal showing seemingly higher amounts. In response on Wednesday, UNILAG’s Head of Communications, Adejoke Alaga‑Ibraheem, clarified that the adjustments reflect bundling of previously separate faculty and departmental dues into a single portal payment, in line with the NELFund’s requirement.

“This ensures that once students make payment through their official portal, no other payment will be collected at the faculty and departmental levels,” Alaga-Ibraheem said.

Documents reviewed by TheCable show that while the total quoted fee did not increase significantly, several components were adjusted, and new items such as “portal maintenance” and “entrepreneurship” charges were introduced. For instance, departmental/faculty dues moved from N2,000 in the 2024/2025 session to N15,000 on the consolidated portal. The “TISHIP” fee rose from N5,000 to N7,500. Furthermore, fees for “entrepreneurship” (N5,000), “portal maintenance” (N15,000), “student insurance” (N1,250), “student support services” (N1,250), “professional services” (N7,500), and “general studies (GST)” (N5,000) were listed.

When confronted, the university reiterated that no fresh fees had been introduced and that many of the fees now shown had always been payable but billed separately at faculty or department levels. The consolidation, the spokesperson said, was to ensure that students who access NELFund loans have one clear payment point.

“What we have done is in the best interest of the students so that when they apply for NELFund, they get funding that covers every bill that they pay in school through a central system,” Alaga-Ibraheem explained.
“It is also important to note that the amounts reflected on the portals differ across programmes based on specific academic requirements. This does not amount to a fee hike but an integration of previously separate, legitimate dues.”

In May 2025, NELFund directed UNILAG to refund amounts paid by students before loan disbursement, noting that institutions should not bar students with verified loan applications due to unpaid fees. The university’s consolidation exercise appears aligned with that directive, enabling the loan agency to cover all charges in one go.