Maimuna Aliyu, mother of Maryam Sanda, who is accused of stabbing her husband, Bilyamin Bello, to death has been charged along with her daughter.
Also charged are Maryam’s brother, Aliyu Sanda, and another woman named as Sadiya Aminu.
This was contained in an amendment by the FCT Police Command, which accuses the trio of concealment of evidence at the crime scene of the suspected murder.
Maimuna is a former executive director of Aso Savings and Loans.
Bilyamin is the son of a former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Bello Halliru Mohammed.
In count one of the amended charge, the police alleged that Maryam had caused the death of her husband, Bilyamin Bello, “by stabbing him on the chest and other parts of the body with a knife and other dangerous weapons which eventually led to his death.”
The second count charge states that Maimuna, Aliyu and Sadiya, with the knowledge that a murder has been committed, “cause evidence of the offence to disappear.”
The police alleged that the trio cleaned the blood from the crime scene with the intention of screening Maryam from legal punishment.
CCTV footage recovered from the residence of the deceased reportedly revealed Maimuna as one of the people that entered the house after Maryam had rushed the deceased to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
At the resumed hearing on Thursday, Police Prosecutor, CSP James Idachaba, told the court that all efforts to serve the amended charge on Maimuna and the others have proved abortive.
He said the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had also been having challenges bringing Maimuna to court for arraignment in a case of fraud filed against her.
He, therefore, pleaded with the court to allow the prosecution to continue with the trial of Maryam based on the count one of the charge where she was the only one mentioned.
But the trial judge, Justice Yusuf Halilu said he wants everything to be done properly before coming to court.
“You must be very serious and show commitment to what you are doing. Make extra efforts to serve the other defendants. I want to have all of them together before me so they can take their pleas together,” the judge said.
The prosecutor thereby asked the court to adjourn the matter to Thursday, December 14 to enable the police to bring all the defendants to court so they can take their pleas together.
Maryam’s new lawyer, Joseph Daudu (SAN), a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), however, applied to the court to hear the bail application filed on Maryam’s behalf since it was already before the court.
However, Justice Halilu ruled in favour of the prosecutor and said the bail would be taken after the re-arraignment.
Not satisfied with this, Daudu pleaded with the court, this time orally, to release Maryam on bail pending Thursday when fresh pleas would be taken.
He said the prison condition was unwholesome for Maryam’s six-month-old baby.
“It is unfortunate that a life has been lost already, but we should not take more lives,” the counsel said.
However, after another objection by the police prosecutor, Justice Halilu held that he was not disposed to grant the oral bail application since issues have been joined on the formal application for bail.
“The defendant in the main time shall be returned to the prison pending Thursday, December 14,” judge ruled.
Maryam was subsequently taken back to Suleja prison.
