The Court of Appeal in Abuja has been asked by police to uphold the death sentence ruling on Maryam Sanda by an Abuja High Court for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello.
The police in its brief of argument filed in response to the appeal filed by Sanda’s legal team submitted that the trial court was right in finding her guilty of intentionally killing her husband.
Police counsel, James Idachaba, noted that the trial judge, Justice Yusuf Halilu, took proper evaluation of the evidence before him before rendering the judgement that found Sanda guilty and sentenced to death.
Speaking further, he said setting aside the trial court’s decision would mean any angry spouse could easily take the life of their partner at will without consequence.
According to Idachaba, Sanda’s conviction and subsequent punishment was meant to serve as a deterrent to others who wish to commit the crime of culpable homicide.
He further submitted that Sanda was guilty of taking her husband’s life and that her appeal was baseless, frivolous and lacking in merit, praying the Court of Appeal to dismiss it with a cost.
Justice Halilu had on January 27, 2020, found Sanda guilty of stabbing her husband with a kitchen knife with a clear intent to kill.
The judge said he reached his verdict by relying on the compelling circumstantial evidence and testimonies of the six witnesses called by the police; the relatives of the convict who cleaned up the scene of the crime; a post-mortem examination on the deceased’s corpse; and the contradictory statements of the convict.