Maryam Sanda’s death penalty stands as Court of Appeal rejects appeal

A Court of Appeal in Abuja on Friday dismissed the appeal filed by Maryam Sanda against the death sentence handed her for killing her husband Bilyaminu Bello.

In his two-hour judgement, Justice Steven Adah held that the court was duty-bound to do justice according to law and not sentiments.

Justice Adah said Sanda’s appeal lacked merit.

Justice Yusuf Halilu of an FCT High Court had on January 27 given the sentence.

He sentenced Sanda after she was convicted for stabbing Bello to death on November 18, 2017.

Bello was the nephew of former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Haliru Bello.

In the notice of appeal predicated on 20 grounds, Sanda had prayed the appellate court to set aside the verdict of the lower court and acquit her.

She claimed Justice Halilu was tainted by bias and prejudices.

Sanda alleged that the judge gave the verdict despite the reasonable doubt that was created by evidence of witnesses, lack of confessional statement, absence of murder weapon, lack of corroboration of evidence by two or more witnesses, and lack of autopsy report to determine the true cause of her husband’s death.