Culpable homicide: Court asks Maryam Sanda to enter her defence

JUSTICE Yusuf Halilu of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) today, overruled the no-case submission filed by an alleged husband killer wife, Maryam Sanda and ordered her to enter her defence.

The judge, however, discharged and acquitted Maryam’s mother, Maimuna Aliyu, her brother, Aliyu Sanda and housemaid, Sadiya Aminu, who were charged along with her.

Maryam is charged with culpable homicide punishable with death by the police for allegedly killing her husband, Bilyaminu Ahmed Bello, by stabbing him with a knife in the night of November 18, 2017, in their resident at Wuse II in Abuja.

The deceased was a son of former National Chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Halilu Bello.

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Other defendants were concealment of evidence by cleaning the blood of her deceased husband from the scene of the crime.

The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against them.

After the close of the prosecution’s case, counsel for Maryam, Olusegun Jolaawo and that if the other defendants, Hussein Musa, filed a no-case submission on behalf of the defendants.

The counsel’s claimed that the prosecution had not established a prima facie case against the defendants to enable them to enter their respective defence.

Ruling on the no-case submission today, Justice Halilu held that while Maryam has a case to answer, the prosecution has not been able to tie the second, third and fourth defendants with the offence of concealment of evidence.

He ordered Maryam to enter her defence and discharged and acquitted the other defendants.