Maryam Sanda sentenced to death for killing husband

The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, on Monday found Maryam Sanda guilty of killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello.

Ms Sanda was sentenced to death by hanging by the judge.

The Nigerian police charged Ms Sanda for culpable homicide in November 2017, and sought the death penalty against the accused in a two count charge.

The victim, Bello, was the son of a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Haliru Bello.

Justice Yusuf Halilu said there was compelling evidence to convict the accused.

The judge dismissed Ms Sanda’s statement that her husband fell on a broken Shisha pot during a fight on the ill-fated day as a “smokescreen to deceive the court”.

He said available evidence proved that the accused stabbed her husband with a kitchen knife with intent to ”kill”.

As the judge pronounced Ms Sanda guilty, the accused attempted to run out of the court room while her relatives started shouting, causing an uproar in an attempt to draw public sympathy and soft landing.

A short break was called by the judge to restore calm before the sentence was delivered.