The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Williams

  • Williams died of strangulation, says witness

    Williams died of strangulation, says witness

    Lagos High Court, Igbosere heard yesterday that former Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Funsho Williams died of suffocation due to manual strangulation he suffered in the hands of his killers.

    Prosecution witness Prof. John Obafunwa told Justice Adeniyi Adebajo that Williams’ death was caused by lack of air intake.

    Led in evidence by prosecution witness Mrs. O.A. Akin Adesomojo, Obafunwa said the cause of death was revealed by the post-mortem findings.

    He said he visited the scene of the crime on July 27, 2006 at Corporation Drive, Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi at 5:30pm following a call which informed him about the death.

    Obafunwa told the court that he waited for policemen to arrive before he later saw the corpse at 10pm.

    “I saw the body of a middle aged man, identified by the family, having his hands tied and lying face down in a pool of blood on a dagger wrapped with a newspaper.

    “I covered the hands and taped it with a paper to prevent a foreign DNA which may occur during the movement of the body so as not to affect forensic investigations.

    “I noticed that the room was scattered along with two other rooms which I checked before the body was moved to Creek Military Hospital and I left at midnight.

    “During the post-mortem examination and two other pathologists at Creek Hospital discovered a cut on the deceased forehead and bruises around his neck,” he said.

    Obafunwa, said there were deep bruises on the arms and legs of the deceased which suggested that he tried to restrain somebody before his death.

    “An x-ray was also carried out on the deceased which revealed a fracture of the thyroid cartilage (neck bone).

    “Based on our findings, the deceased’s death resulted from asphyxia or lack of air intake due to manual strangulation and the wounds found on the deceased can be described as defence wounds.

    “Blood and Urine samples, eye fluids, stomach contents, nail scrapings and clippings were also taken by the police for forensic analysis after which I made a report.” he added.

    Defence counsel Agbara Okezie, said he was not cross-examining the witness.

    After listening to the parties, Justice Adebajo adjourned the matter to May 7 for continuation.

  • ‘William and Harry get their moves from me’:

    ‘William and Harry get their moves from me’:

    The Prince of Wales has revealed that his sons the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry have inherited an essential quality from their father – a love of dancing.

    Charles joked about his prowess on the dance floor and how William and Harry have picked up the skill during a wide-ranging interview with the magazine Australian Women’s Weekly.

    The heir to the throne also spoke of his joy at the warm reception the Duchess of Cornwall received from Australians last year.

    Charles and Camilla made their first official visit to the country as a couple last November, and the royal described his delight after wellwishers realised she was ‘an incredibly good sort’.

    The royal was first interviewed by the magazine in 1974 when, aged 26, he declared, ‘If I hear rhythmic music, I just want to get up and dance.

     

    Asked by the publication’s deputy editor Juliet Rieden if he still felt the beat, Charles, who became a grandfather for the first time in July, repled: ‘Perhaps, it’s slightly less becoming once you get to my age.’

    He added: ‘I think given half a chance though, the old one-two and the two-step can come in handy. I’m glad to say that both my sons have inherited it, I think.

    ‘They’re very good. They do make me laugh when they get going.’

     

    Harry was spotted dancing numerous times during his Diamond Jubilee tour of the Caribbean last year – especially in Kingston when he visited a charity.

    And when Charles and Camilla travelled to New Zealand at the end of their Diamond Jubilee tour, they both strutted their stuff with different partners on a pop-up dancefloor in Christchurch.

    Asked if he was passing his wisdom on to William and Harry, Charles suggested his sons had learnt from him – but wanted to keep it a secret.

    He said: ‘Well, I don’t know. I hope so. How do you know? You can try, but no, I’ve always believed I just do what I do and I hope that they might notice something.

    ‘I mean, funnily enough, I don’t see what they’re up to when I’m not there, but sometimes I hear back from others that they’re surprisingly similar in some ways (to me). So maybe some things rub off … which they wouldn’t want me to know.’

    Speaking about last year’s Australian visit, which marked the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the prince told the women’s magazine: ‘Before you go, you wonder what is the reaction going to be – it’s always the same. But it was wonderful that they took to her and saw her for what she is – an incredibly good sort.

    ‘She loved it and has such incredibly happy memories of her experience and, obviously, I was thrilled, as you can imagine, for Australians to discover just how special she is … because she’s got the most wonderful sense of humour and has some very good jokes.’

    Charles’ first wife Diana, Princess of Wales made a lasting impression on Australians during numerous visits and the Duchess appears to have also won the affections of many people in the country.

    The first stop for the royals during their tour was the remote outback settlement of Longreach and Camilla endeared herself to the locals by cuddling a 12-month-old kangaroo.

    The prince still has fond memories of his first visit to Australia, made in 1966 when he was aged 17.

    The royal spent two terms in the Australian outback at Timbertop, an off-shoot of Geelong Grammar School in Melbourne, on a private exchange from Gordonstoun.

    During the visit the prince said he plucked up the courage to really talk to the public and learnt to communicate with wellwishers.

    Speaking about the crowds that had come out to see him Charles said: ‘Then, of course, finally, I took the plunge and went over and talked to people, and that suddenly unlocked a completely different feeling and I was then able to communicate and talk to people so much more.’

    While at Timbertop, 100 miles from Melbourne, the prince joined the other pupils who had to fend for themselves and complete expeditions into the surrounding hills.

    He said: ‘There were leeches and snakes, and those enormous bull ants and funnel web spiders I’ve never forgotten. And then waking up in your tent and you’re frozen stiff in the frost.

    ‘I never imagined that would happen in that part of the world – or all these strange creepy crawlies wanting to do you mischief. But it was jolly good for the character and, in many ways, I loved it and I learnt a lot from it. And I certainly discovered what good value the Australians are.’

    Speaking about the issues that motivate him the royal said that we had created a ‘throwaway society’.

    He stressed that nations had to look after the natural world: ‘What I’m trying to say is there is another way of looking at this if we’re going to hand over to our children and grandchildren a planet that isn’t totally degraded and compromised. You can’t push nature beyond a certain limit. We have to look after it.’

    Speaking about his views on balancing conventional medicine with complimentary treatments he said: ‘I know lots of people who find they aren’t benefited in every case by just the conventional, orthodox drug and finally discover that actually an approach – whether it’s herbal medicine or acupuncture or various other forms of complementary medicine – actually does benefit them.

    ‘There’s a lot that can be done on the preventative side. There’s an enormous amount we can do by looking at the whole person.’

    Charles also stressed that he wanted to see if some of his UK charities could link up with Australian counterparts to tackle issues.

    One project already off the ground will see the Prince’s Foundation for Building Community develop the ‘Prince’s Australian Terrace’ in Melbourne.

    The development will be an update to the popular Australian terraced house, combining 21st century Australian lifestyle demands with the technology of today which aims to create a sustainable and eco-friendly living solution.

  • Before police bungle Funsho Williams case

    Before police bungle Funsho Williams case

    The public outcry against his murder was awesome. The public was aghast that he could be killed right inside his bedroom with his police aides not too far away. Where were the policemen when their charge was killed? Were they in the know of the dastardly act? Who could have done it and why? These were some of the questions people asked. We also asked the same questions in this column on August 1, 2006, five days after Funsho Williams was killed in his Ikoyi, Lagos home.

    We warned then that the case should not be allowed to go the way of similar murders like those of Chief Bola Ige and Dele Giwa, to mention a few. Seven years down the line, what we are now hearing about the case from the police is not edifying at all. Despite our warning six years ago, the police may fail to bring the suspected killers to book, going by the latest development in their trial. On Monday, the police told Justice Adeniyi Adebajo of the Lagos High Court that some evidence vital to the prosecution of the case had been destroyed. How?

    Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ovie Oyokomino, who is in charge of forensics at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, told the court: ‘’The perishable evidence such as blood samples as well as the vitreous humour of the eye went bad due to interrupted power supply in the course of refrigerating’’. What a way of prosecuting a case. The police like every other establishment in this country know that we don’t have a reliable power system. This is why organisations rely on generators in carrying out their operations. So, the police should have looked for alternative means of preserving this vital evidence. Why rely on the unreliable public power system when they could have used generator 24/7 to preserve this proof?

    What the police have done shows that they are not serious about unmasking the killers. They are just paying lip-service to the matter so that the world will see them as working. For God sake, this is a murder case, which should be proved beyond all reasonable doubts. The police should not give room for any doubt, because any iota of doubt will be resolved in the favour of the accused. If tomorrow, the court frees the accused, we know who to hold responsible. As if we knew, we warned against toying with this case in this piece entitled : Who killed Funsho Williams? Seven years ago :

    The outrage against his assassination is understandable. In his lifetime, Funsho Williams, an engineer and politician, was a gentleman to the core. He was one of the few politicians around who played the game according to the rules: no hard tackles and no mudslinging. His disposition made many wonder what he was doing in the shark – infested pool of Nigeria politics. Williams was always cool, calm and calculated. Where many were losing their heads, he usually kept his. He was a perfect gentleman who gave a lie to the claim that politics is not for refined people.

    A well – heeled gentleman who reached the apogee of his career as permanent secretary in the Lagos State Ministry of Works before he retired, Williams’ ambition was to govern the state. But each time he tried to achieve this dream, he failed. These failures did not deter him, rather they emboldened him to pursue his ambition with renewed vigour. His passion to govern the state of his origin knew no bounds. Williams was not ready to allow any other post stand between him and the office of governor. No other office mattered to him. Because of his passion for the gubernatorial seat, he rejected offers of senatorial seat and ministerial appointment. That was the extent of his love for the governorship post.

    As a patient person, Williams was ready to wait for God’s appointed time to be governor. This was why when he lost the governorship ticket of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in 1999, he refused to accept any form of compensation when elders of the party locked both men up in a room and asked them to resolve their differences. Where some in his position would have come up with a long list of demands, Williams reportedly asked Tinubu for nothing. He was said to have maintained that the only thing he wanted was to become the governor of the state. When Tinubu reported the outcome of their meeting to AD elders, they advised that he should make some of Williams’ supporters commissioners. And this was how Dr. Leke Pitan and Mrs Kemi Nelson found their way into Tinubu’s cabinet.

    Another politician who benefited immensely from his relationship with Williams was former Works Minister, Mr Seye Ogunlewe. Williams had after losing to Tinubu been offered a senatorial seat. Expectedly, he turned it down and asked that Ogunlewe should take up the offer. In 2003 when he again lost to Tinubu in that year’s governorship election, Williams was offered ministerial appointment. Again and not quiet surprisingly, he rejected the offer.

    The lot again fell on Ogunlewe to pick up the job. Williams’ was not prepared to allow any other position distract him. Perhaps his dream might have come true in 2007. Nobody can say. Suffice to say now that this is not going to be as Williams was killed last Thursday in his Ikoyi, Lagos home.

    His assassination falls into the same pattern of killings that we have witnesssed in the country in the past five years. Bola Ige. Marshall Harry. Aminasoari Dikibo. Barnabas and Amaka Igwe. A common thread runs through the way these people were killed. Their killers finished them off and just vanished into thin air. Up till today, the killers remain at large and these assassinations remain unresolved. Will Williams’ case go the same way? The police are in a better position to answer this poser. This, however, should not be another unresolved murder case.

    The only honour we can do the memory of Williams is to find his killers and the earlier this is done the better. By October 19, this year, it will be 20 years that Dele Giwa was killed by parcel bomb and we are still asking: who killed Dele Giwa? We hope we will not be asking who killed Williams 20 years after?

    Jonathan vs governors

    May is going to be an interesting month. It is the month we have been waiting for to see how President Goodluck Jonathan and the governors will resolve their differences. Jonathan wants a change of guards at the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) led by Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State. The president is not hiding the fact that he no longer wants Amaechi in the saddle.

    He has some governors with him, but they don’t have the number with which to achieve the president’s aim. Many of the governors are with Amaechi, at least, up to this moment. Amaechi enjoys the confidence of his colleagues, whether of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or of the opposition parties. For now, the president is finding it difficult to get all the governors, especially of the PDP on his side.

    The opposition governors have made it clear that they are for Amaechi, come what may. The president is not relenting. So, it is going to be battle royale if the NGF election holds. Will it hold or will Amaechi be allowed to serve a second term without standing for election just as his predecessor, former Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki? Well, we wait to see what happens. Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu has given us an insight into what to expect.

    He was quoted by a paper as telling his colleagues who are backing the president to remove Amaechi that : ‘’Let me tell you, 10 of you, even 20 of you cannot remove Amaechi. Go and tell him’’. You and I know who the him is. It is no other person than the president. As the adage goes, if you wish to talk to the deaf, you do so through his child, just as Muazu has done in this instance. But will the governors walk the talk or will they chicken out when the chips are down?

  • Exhibits in Funsho Williams’ case destroyed, court told

    Exhibits in Funsho Williams’ case destroyed, court told

    A  Lagos High Court was yesterday told why the trial of those accused of killing a former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant Funsho Williams seven years ago is being delayed.

    A prosecution witness told court that the delay was caused by the destruction of some exhibits brought by an expert pathologist, who conducted a post-mortem on the deceased.

    The exhibits, he said, went bad because of epileptic power supply.

    Ovie Oyokomino, a Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Forensics at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, told Justice Adeniyi Adebajo that “the perishable evidence such as blood samples as well as the vitrous humour of the eye went bad due to interrupted power supply in the course of refrigerating.”

    Six defendants, Bulama Kolo, Musa Maina, David Cassidy, Tuna Sonani, Mustapha Kayode and Okponwasa Imariabie, are standing trial on a two-count charge of conspiracy and murder.

    They were alleged to have, on or about July 27, 2006, at 34A, Corporation Drive, Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, conspired to murder Williams, an engineer.

    The defendants pleaded not guilty to the offence, which contravenes Sections 316 and 324 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State, 2003.

    Oyokomino said he and his men visited the crime scene about 12:30pm following a call from the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, AIG, Zone II.

    He told the court that a mattress and cushion containing shoe prints were collected from the deceased’s home, adding that a blood-stained pink shirt was found in a Samsonite suitcase in the third bedroom.

    The witness said a green rope that was notched in various places was used by the killers to gain access into Williams’ house, adding: “The assailants gained entry into his apartment (his wing of a twin duplex) from the unoccupied second wing of the twin duplex.”

    He said: “I got there at about 12:30pm with my men. There were so many people; we could hardly get into the scene with our vehicle. The deceased was in a lying position on the floor; his arms were tied behind him. His head region was under the bed and we observed blood around the head on the floor.

    “He was wearing a multi-coloured Ankara ‘Buba and Sokoto’. The ‘Sokoto’ had shifted, thereby revealing his white under-pant. There was evidence of ransacking the whole upstairs including the family’s living room and master bedroom. We processed for finger prints, shoe prints and noted the position of things considered to be relevant for our forensic work, which included one empty scabbard without the dagger. We did not move the body from the position we found it. The pathologist who subsequently moved the body discovered the dagger under it.”

    The witness said there was a manhole in the concrete ceiling for ease of maintenance, adding: “An opening of 2 by 2 covered with a plywood board was made on the ceiling. The manhole was just two feet from the dividing wall of the duplexes and it was similar with the other side. The building has a common roof.

    “They used a green colour nylon rope notched in a number of places for easy usage to descend into the deceased’s apartment. We collected the rope, mattress, containing shoe print, cushion in the living room with shoe print. We also found a blood-stained long-sleeve shirt, pink in colour, in a Samsonite suitcase in the third room.”

    According to Oyokomino, the police at that time, relied on the mode of entry into the apartment to effect arrest, adding that two suspects who had previously broken into apartments in similar pattern, were nabbed.

    He said DNA materials were collected from the suspects and tested in a forensic laboratory in Britain, adding that the suspects were released after the DNA report exonerated them.

    Oyokomino added: “The Investigating Police Officer, IPO, investigating the case later came back with suspects apprehended with the cell phone of the deceased, which was removed the day the incident occurred.

    “We got an order from the Magistrate’s Court to obtain blood samples of the new suspects along with those of the policemen who were attached to the deceased and his private security guard. Three of the suspects are police officers. We obtained the blood samples from the suspects while in detention. Samples were sent for DNA profile, which were reported inconclusive. This was reported to the prosecuting counsel who immediately set in motion to obtain fresh samples through a court order at the High Court.”

    “I was later informed that the judge at the time gave an order, but I never saw the certified true copy till now. It was only recently that I learnt that the order could not be carried out because the presiding judge at that time died without signing the order she made,” he said.

    Asked by the court where the exhibits were, the witness said they were at the forensic department, including “body tissues and blood samples brought by the pathologist who conducted autopsy on the late Williams.”

    Prosecuting counsel Mrs. O.A. Akin-Adesomojo prayed the court for an order to collect fresh DNA samples from all the suspects in order to match same with the blood stains found on the shirt at Williams’ residence.

    She said it was necessary to obtain further samples from all the suspects so that those who may not be involved in the crime would be freed, but counsel to the defendants, Okezie Agbara, objected. He the prosecution had ample time since July 27, 2006 that the deceased died, to make its requests, adding: “It will be unfair to come through the back door to make another request.”

    Justice Adebajo adjourned the case till June 3.

  • As Williams sisters visit Lagos

    SIR: The planned visit of international tennis champions, Venus and Serena Williams to Lagos, Nigeria come October 30 to November 2 this year, is arguably a cheering one in the midst of the deluge of sad happenings that we have experienced in the country, in recent time. The Williams sisters, as they are fondly called, are due to visit Lagos exclusively as part of the Nigerian leg of their two-nation tour of Africa for the year. Only Johannesburg in South Africa and Lagos, Nigeria have been favoured as the preferred destinations of the amiable ‘’Queens of tennis.’’

    Essentially, the Williams sisters’ visit to Lagos, which is on the platform of ‘Breaking The Mould’ (BTM) initiative, is aimed at inspiring, motivating and empowering Nigerian women and young people so that they can achieve their inner potential regardless of the obstacles on the way. Having gone through the crucibles of life, the duo provides a perfect fit for the task of motivating Nigerians to success as they exemplify how determination, passion, hard work and self-belief can turn dreams into reality, despite challenges. Considering the story-behind-the success story of the Williams, it is a natural thing to consider them as the 2012 international “mould breakers” having turned around the initial obstacles on their way to the top.

    Ours is an environment where one keeps asking if it is possible to succeed in view of the prevailing negative forces around us. The contradictions are legion – high rate of youth unemployment, general insecurity, low standard of living, low educational standards, ethnic and gender discriminations among others. Despite facing similar situations, Venus and Serena Williams prevailed over their obstacles to become true champions, an experience we can all share via the opportunity that Breaking The Mould initiative provides.

    Like a larger percentage of us, the Williams sisters were raised in a lowly Compton town outside Los Angeles, United States of America by their humble parents. For the Williams, despite their busy schedule practising and competing on the tennis court, they still created time to have proper education. Having to experience the intrigues of being home-schooled by their mother, Venus and Serena graciously went through it and today, they have their high school diploma. Their sense of value for education notwithstanding their natural talents and abilities is a good lesson for our talented teens and youth who push aside their education in pursuit of their talents. Furthermore, the story of Venus and Serena is a major boost to the breaking of the age-long stereotype that branded the girl-child or women generally as ‘weaker sex’. The Williams sisters have forged ahead to write their names on the sands of time, making history and breaking new records. Today, the duo has won several laurels and grand slams titles.

    The enigmas called Williams sisters are a catalyst for Nigerians across age and class to expand their horizon, come out of the moulds and begin to function in more than a singular mould-cast of their chosen career and aspirations. Our world is a place of unlimited opportunities where enable every man and woman can fully maximize his or her hidden potential.

    • Efe Eguko

    Lagos.