Ebun Francis| Maryam Sanda, convicted to die by hanging for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, has appealed against the judgement at the court of appeal, Abuja.
In the Notice of appeal predicated on twenty grounds, Sanda prayed the court to set aside the verdict of the lower court and acquit her.
Among other things, she claimed that, Yusuf Halilu, the trial judge, was tainted by bias and prejudices which led to the denial of her right to a fair hearing and her consequent conviction based on circumstantial evidence.
According to her, 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.
She equally said that the failure of the trial judge to rule, one way or the other, on her preliminary objection, challenging the charge preferred against her and the jurisdiction of the court as evidence of bias and a denial of her right to fair hearing as constitutionally guaranteed.
She, therefore, asked the Court of Appeal to allow her prayers and set aside her conviction and sentence and subsequently acquit her.
Maryam Sanda was sentenced to death by hanging on January 27 for stabbing her late husband, Bilyaminu to death, in November 2017.
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