Maryam Sanda, who is charged with killing her husband, Bilyamin Bello, son of a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Haliru Bello, was on Friday arraigned before an Abuja High Court.
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The mother-of-a-six-month old baby is dogged by claim that she stabbed Bilyamin to death with broken bottle at their residence, located at 4, Pakali Close, Wuse 2, Abuja in the wee hour of Sunday, November 19, three days to his 36th birthday in a fit of rage said to have been caused by a cheating text message she found on the deceased’s phone.
Her trial for murder commenced yesterday, as she appeared before Justice Yusuf Halilu.
Sources who witnessed Maryam’s arraignment said she came into the court covering her face with a veil and holding Muslims’ holy book, Quran, and rosary.
The trial reportedly commenced at 11.00am, during which the murder suspect pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against her, and was asked to remove her veil by the judge when she entered the dock.
It was said that Justice Halilu overruled the suspect’s lawyer’s pleas. The lawyer, Mr. Oseni Musa reportedly asked the court to grant her client bail on compassionate ground due to the fact that she was a nursing mother.
Musa also pleaded that since the defendant was nursing an infant of less than six months old, she should be remanded in police custody pending the determination of her bail application.
Overruling both pleas of the defence lawyer, Justice Halilu ordered the remand of Maryam in Suleja Prison, and adjourned the case until December 7.
