JUST IN : Court of Appeal upholds Maryam Sanda’s death sentence

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed the judgment delivered on 27th January 2020 by Justice Yusuf Halilu of an FCT high court, which sentenced Maryam Sanda to death by hanging for killing her husband Bilyamin Mohammed Bello.

The presiding judge, Justice Steven Adah, in his two-hour Judgement, held that the court is duty-bound to do justice according to law and not sentiments.

Solacebase reports that in a notice of appeal predicated on 20 grounds, the appellant through her legal team described the judgment of the trial court as “a miscarriage of justice”.

Justice Steven Adah held that the law does not leave room for irregularities, adding that parties must conduct criminal trials according to the law.

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The appellant’s argument that allegations against her at the trial court ought to be through information sheet and not charge sheet is not attainable, as she does not have to right to detect the mode of arraignment or charge.

On issues canvassed by the appellant that the trial judge assumed the role of an investigator was taken out of context.

Justice Adah held that the trial judge did not engage in any investigation outside the evidence before the court.

Evidence, in this case, is circumstantial because there are no organic facts linking her directly to the crime.

Cognizance will be taken on the events that led to the death of her husband

The appellant had threatened to cut of the private part of her husband after she found a nude picture of a woman in his phone.

She also threatened his with a bottle and a knife which she was stopped by the prosecution witness 1 who was present at that time.

The court held if she could threaten to cut of his private part she had the intention of killing him.

Lastly, the court held that the appeal filed by Maryam Sanda lacks merit.