Judge’s absence delays Melaye’s trial

The trial of Senator Dino Melaye at an Abuja Federal High Court was on Monday, April 6, stalled following the absence of the trial judge, Justice Yusuf Halilu.

The judge was absent due to his official engagement on election tribunal duty in Ogun State.

The senator was arraigned on January 22 by the police on an eight-count charge bordering on alleged conspiracy with an alleged husband killer, Maryam Sanda, resistance to arrest, failure to honour police invitation and intentionally giving false information to the public.

He was also accused of conspiring with one Silas Omenka on December 28, 2018, to commit an offence of illegal obstruction to a lawful arrest, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 97 of the Penal Code.

Melaye, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him.

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Justice Halilu on April 4, ruling on a no-case submission filed by Sanda and her co-defendants: discharged Maryam’s mother, Maimuna Aliyu; brother, Aliyu Sanda and housemaid, Sadiya Aminu.

They were charged with concealment of evidence by cleaning the blood of the late Bilyaminu from the scene of the crime.

The Judge further ruled that Maryam Sanda, who was charged with culpable homicide punishable with death for allegedly killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, had a case to answer and as such should enter her defence.

The court in Sanda’s case rescheduled trial until June 11, while Melaye’s case was fixed for June 17.