A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has found Maryam Sanda guilty of killing her husband, Bilyamin Bello in 2017 and sentenced her to death by hanging.
Recall that on November 19, 2017, Ms Sanda was accused of killing her husband through multiple stabbing, and was arraigned at the court by the Nigeria Police with three other persons.
The three other persons are Maimuna Aliyu, Sanda’s mother; Aliyu, her brother, and Sadiya Aminu, her housemaid, are also accused of conspiracy to murder.
The deceased, Bilyaminu, was a nephew of a former National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Haliru Bello-Muhammed.
Delivering the judgement, Yusuf Halilu said since all the evidence to prove Ms Sanda’s culpability was destroyed and that she denied being guilty, the court, therefore, relied on the ‘doctrine of Last Seen’ to pronounce Maram guilty of culpable murder of her husband.
“In justice to the society and to the deceased, Bilyaminu, the crime outweighed the other elements of justice to the defendant, Maryam Sanda, who should reap what she has sown – blood for blood.
“…for it has been said that thou shall not kill. Whosoever kills in cold blood deserves death as his or her own reward or punishment.
“Moreover, the rising crime and the mindless and senseless killings of both men and women in our society leaves much to be desired and must be seriously frowned upon.
“Convicts clearly deserve to die. Accordingly, I hereby sentence Maryam Sanda to death by hanging,” Justice Halilu pronounced.
It could be recalled by law, in cases of murder, where there is no explanation for the death or disappearance of the deceased and the defendant was the last person to be seen in the company of the deceased, then circumstantial evidence can be used to link the defendant with the death of the deceased.
