Murder: You’ve case to answer, Court tells ‘killer wife’

Andrew Orolua, Abuja

A Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting at Maitama, on Thursday, ruled that Maryam Sanda, who allegedly stabbed her husband, Bilyamin Bello, son of former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to death, has a case to answer.

The court acquitted and discharged Maryam’s mother, Maimuna Aliyu; her brother, Aliyu Sanda and one Sadiya Aminu, who were co-defendants to the charge.

Delivering the ruling, Justice Yusuf Halilu dismissed the defendant no-case- submission on the ground that the prosecution has established a prima facie case against her.

Mrs. Bello is standing trial on two-count culpable homicide charge filed by the Nigerian Police Force for allegedly killing her husband.

In the amended charge marked CR/15/17 which Police filed pursuant to section 109(d) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, the police had added Maryam’s mother, Maimuna Aliyu, her brother, Aliyu Sanda and one Sadiya Aminu, as co-defendants in the matter.

Maryam was accused of stabbing her husband to death with a broken bottle on November 19 at their Abuja residence.

The prosecution told the court that Bilyamin died as a result of several stabs on his chest and neck.

Police maintained that the defendant attacked her husband with the knowledge that her act was likely to cause his death.

She was equally charged with the offence of “causing grievous hurt”, contrary to section 247 of the Penal Code Law.

The late Bilyaminu, who was a real estate developer, was the son of ex-PDP Chairman, Mohammed Bello Haliru.

The prosecution alleged that Maryam’s family members attempted to destroy evidence that linked her to the murder.

It alleged that upon realising that an offence of culpable homicide was committed, the other defendants, “did caused evidence of the offence to disappear”.

It said the other defendants had carefully cleaned the blood from the scene of the crime with the intention of screening the 1st defendant, Maryam from legal punishment.

According to the prosecution, the three persons involved in the scrubbing-off of murdered Bilyamin’s blood, by their action, committed an offence punishable under section 167 of the Penal Code Law.

Police closed its case against the defendants after it produced a total of six witnesses that testified before the court.

However, all the defendants, in separate applications, urged the court to discharge and acquit them, contending that the prosecution failed to establish a prima-facie case against them.

They argued that Police was unable on the weight of credible evidence, sustain the ingredients of the offence in the charge.

The defendants maintained that totality of the proof of evidence was not sufficient to warrant the court to compel them to open their defence to the charge.

In his ruling, Justice Halilu said he was satisfied that Maryam has explanations to give over what led to her husband’s death, saying police established “thick cloud on the case”.

Nevertheless, the court, upheld the no case submission that was made by all the other defendants, even as it discharged and acquitted them of the charge.

The court fixed May 6 for Maryam, who is facing culpable homicide charge punishable by death under section 221 of the Penal Code Law, to open her defence.