Barely three months after Mariam Sanda allegedly murdered her husband, Bilyamin Bello, at their Maitama apartment in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, it has been learnt that she is three months pregnant. Sanda allegedly stabbed her husband to death on Thursday, November 21, 2017.
At the resumed hearing of the murder case at a High Court sitting in Jabi, in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, counsel to the defendant, Mr. Joseph Daudu, SAN, revealed to the court that his client was three months pregnant, and prayed the court to grant her bail on that ground.
Daudu had on the 26th of January, 2018, filed a bail application that was supported by a 19-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Alhaji Sanda, father of the defendant, which also had the medical reports of the state of health of the defendant attached to it. He told the court that the defendant ought to be granted bail since “There’s no way a pregnant woman who is incarcerated should be standing trial.” He then urged the court to exercise its discretion under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act to admit the defendant to bail.
Prosecution counsel, James Idachaba, objected to the bail application filed by the defence counsel, and asked the court to reject the applications since according to him, the evidence put forward by the defence counsel was not sufficient enough. He further urged the court not to grant the application since according to him, it had not been sent to the Department of Public Prosecution for legal advice. He further argued that it was already too late for the defence to raise any objections at this time, adding that the matter before the court was a regular one. He then urged the court to immediately commence trial since according to him, the defendant had taken a plea.
In his ruling, Justice Halilu Yusuf ordered that Sanda be remanded in prison and adjourned the matter to tomorrow for continuation of hearing.
In his ruling, Justice Halilu Yusuf ordered that the defendant be continually remanded pending the determination of the matter. He adjourned the next hearing to Wednesday, February 7.
