Justice Olabisi Akinlade of the Lagos High Court, Igbosere, has sentenced Okwumo Nwabufo, 39 and Olisaeloka Ezike, 28, to death for their roles in the 2012 murder of Cynthia Osukogu, who Nwabufo dated on Facebook.
They court found them guilty of chaining, drugging and strangling the deceased to death at Cosmilla Hotel, FESTAC Town, Lagos, on July 22, 2012.
The other defendants Orji Osita and Ezike Nonso were discharged and acquitted.
Justice Olabisi Akinlade of the Lagos High Court, Igbosere has found Okwumo Nwabufo, 39 and Olisaeloka Ezike, 28, guilty of the 2012 murder of Cynthia Osukogu, who Nwabufo befriended on Facebook.
They court found them guilty of chaining, drugging and strangling the deceased to death at Cosmilla Hotel, FESTAC Town, Lagos, on July 22, 2012.
Judgment is ongoing.
Justice Olabisi Akinlade of a Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere on Monday accused the defence counsel of stalling the trial of the four men charged with the murder of Cynthia Osokogu in Lagos in 2012.
Akinlade made the accusation when counsel to the first and second defendants — Miss Mosunmola Oladapo and Mr. Michael Ajayi – were unable to file their written addresses as directed by the court.
The defendants are Okwumo Nwabufo (33),Olisaeloka Ezike (23), Orji Osita (33) and Ezike Nonso (25).
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Osokogu was allegedly murdered on July 22, 2012 at Cosmilla Hotel, Lakeview Estate, Festac Town, Lagos, by her facebook lovers – Ezike and Nwabufo.
The counsel had at the last hearing closed their defence for the “trial within trial’’ which was to determine how statements were obtained from the defendants.
At the resumed hearing, the counsel told the court that they were unable to file their written addresses because of their inability to obtain the records of proceedings.
The judge then accused the counsel of deliberately stalling the trial, noting that they failed to consider that the accused were still in prison custody.
“I followed up with the registrar to make sure that the record of court proceedings is ready, but you did not show up to collect it,” Akinlade said.
The judge ordered that the written addresses should be filed and served on the prosecution within the next ten days, while other response should be done in two weeks.
She adjourned the case to February 27 for the adoption of written addresses.
The trial of Cynthia Osokogu’s alleged murderers was on Friday stalled by the absence of a defence counsel, Mr. Victor Opara.
Opara, who is the counsel to Nwabufo, sent a letter notifying the court that he was sick.
Four suspects: Okwumo Nwabufo 33, Olisaeloka Ezike, 23, Orji Osita, 33, and Ezike Nonso, 25, are standing trial before a Lagos High Court, Ikeja, over the alleged offence.
Lagos State Attorney-General, Mr. Ade Ipaye, told the court presided over by Justice Olabisi Akinlade that he was served with a copy of the letter in the court.
Following the development, the judge adjourned the matter to June 21, for continuation of trial.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the defendants were arraigned on February 8 by the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions.
Ipaye had alleged that Osokogu was killed by Nwabufo and Ezike on July 22, 2012 at Cosmilla Hotel, Lakeview Estate, Amuwo Odofin, Festac Town, Lagos.
The Lagos Attorney-General had claimed that Osokogu had met the duo through Facebook, a social networking site, was lured by them to Lagos where she was killed.
Ipaye also alleged that the suspects murdered Osokogu by administering Rohypnol Flunitrazepan tablet into her drink, chaining her hands and legs and strangling her to death.
They were also alleged to have stolen three blackberry phones valued at N150,000, Jewelries, an international passport, and a drivers’ licence, belonging to the deceased.
Ipaye also accused Osita, a pharmacist, of negligently selling the Rohypnol Flunitrazepan tablets to Ezike, without a doctor’s prescription and without showing due care.
The attorney-general alleged that Nonso was charged for being in possession of three blackberry mobile phones belonging to Osokogu.
Miss Vivian Amuneke, a receptionist at Cosmilla Hotel, Festac Town, Lagos, where Cynthia Osokogu was murdered, on Friday confessed that she lied to the police after the corpse was discovered.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Amuneke made the confession while testifying before a Lagos High Court in Ikeja at the resumed trial of four men allegedly involved in the murder.
The defendants; Okwumo Nwabufo (33), Olisaeloka Ezike (23), Orji Osita (33) and Ezike Nonso (25) were arraigned before Justice Olabisi Akinlade on February 8.
They were charged by the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on six counts bordering on conspiracy, murder, stealing, reckless negligence and possession of stolen goods.
The prosecution alleged that 25-year-old Osokogu was murdered at the hotel on July 22 last year by Nwabufo and Ezike, whom she had met through a social networking site, Facebook.
Osita, the third defendant, was charged for negligently selling the Rohypnol Flunitrazepan tablets which was allegedly used to drug the deceased.
Nonso, the man who allegedly bought Osokogu’s stolen Blackberry Bold 5, was charged for being in possession of a stolen phone.
However, testifying on Friday, Amuneke told the court that she booked Room 1C, where Osokogu was killed to Nwabufo and Ezike, with a “used” receipt.
The 28-year-old witness who was led in evidence by Lagos State Attorney General, Mr. Ade Ipaye, said she lied twice in her statements to the police in order to conceal her fraudulent act.
She explained that the room was earlier booked by a couple who had checked-out early but she resold it to the defendants instead of declaring it vacant to the hotel management.
Amuneke said:”The money paid by the second defendant (Ezike) who gave his name to me as John, was shared by me and the porter, Oscar.
“Since the room has already been paid for by the couple who left, I issued a used receipt to the second defendant.”
“I later lied to the police that I gave them the room because Nwabufo had told me that he was related to the couple that had checked-out.
“I told them this because I was scared but the truth is that I resold the room and failed to remit the money to the hotel’s account.”
She further told the court that Nwabufo later went upstairs to the room accompanied by a female guest, who was tall and slim, at about 10 pm.
“I did not really see her face because she was busy pinging with her phone but I know that she was tall and slim”, the witness said.
Amuneke said she was relieved the next morning by her colleague, Mrs. Ifeanyinwa Njegbu and she went home.
Four persons suspected to have killed Cynthia Osokogu were on Tuesday arraigned before a Lagos High Court, Ikeja.
They are Okwumo Nwabufo, Ezike Olisaeloka, Orji Osita and Ezike Nonso.
The suspects were arraigned before Justice Olabisi Akinlade on a six- count charge of murder, stealing and possession of stolen property.
However, their trial could not proceed as planned as counsels to the defendants in the matter told the court that they were not properly served with the court processes.
Olu Kayode, the counsel to the second and fourth defendants, also told the court that the statements of his clients were not included in the amended charge.
The prosecution team led by the Lagos State Attorney General, Mr. Ade Ipaye, admitted to the mix up in serving the processes to one of the defence counsel but promised to immediately resolve the issue.
The presiding judge, Justice Olabisi Akinlade subsequently adjourned the matter to February 8 for commencement of trial.
The matter came up earlier in January but was similarly adjourned because one of the defendants, Osita was not in court
Presenting its case before the court, the state alleged that two of the suspects, Okwumo and Ezike on or about July 22, 2012 at Cosmilla Hotel, Amuwo-Odofin, Festac Town, conspired to murder Cynthia.
The state alleged that the suspects murdered Cynthia by administering Rohypnol Flunitrazepan tablet into her drink, chained her hands and legs and strangled her to death.
The duo were also alleged to have stolen three blackberry phones valued at N150,000, Jewelries, an international passport and a drivers licence belonging to the victim after they strangled her to death.