From Layi Olanrewaju, Ilorin
Hearing continued Monday in the trial of the alleged rape and murder of Olajide Blessing Omowumi, a 300-level student of the University of Ilorin (Unilorin), with the Department of State Service (DSS) tendering 40 items as exhibits.
Among the items tendered by the DSS operative, Mr Igwe Imo, included a wooden toy gun, allegedly used by the suspects to commit the crimes.
The suspects – Abdulazeez Ismail, Ajala Moses Oluwatimileyin (aka Jacklord), Oyeyemi Timileyin Omogbolahan, Abdulkarim Shuaib (aka Easy), Kareem Oshioyemi Rasheed (Rashworld), Abdullateef Abdulrahman, Daud Bashir Adebayo (aka Bashman) and Akande Taiye Oladoja – were brought
to court for alleged rape, murder and armed robbery.
The first three suspects are standing trial for alleged rape and murder of the 24-year-old student in their Tanke, Ilorin residence early last month.
Other items tendered as exhibits included one blue Samsung phone with IMEI 352031/496383/6, one black Lenovo phone, one golden Nokia phone with model number TA-1053, one motherboard, one blue iTel phone, one black HP 15 laptop with model number 15-r002se, one black hp pro book 45ogi with serial number 2CE3481LIP, and two other laptops, as well as two hard drive (500gb).
Also, the DSS presented three witnesses, which included the girlfriend of the eighth accused, Zainab Olaiya. The witness told the court that Akande Taiye called her with a phone number suspected to be that of the late Blessing Olajide.
She was tracked and invited by the DSS and this later led to the arrest of the accused person through her.
A policeman, Adewale Adesola, while being led in evidence described the sixth accused person as a neighbour he had known for the past 15 years.
He said the accused person gave him the stolen phone for safekeeping. However, the police officer said in court on Monday that he kept the phone with him between June 10 and 12 but was yet to institute an investigation on the item when he was invited by the DSS; though he claimed to have queried the accused about the source of the phone which he suspected to be a stolen item.
One of the defence counsels during cross-examination queried why the witness kept the phone for that long without investigations and also laid bare the fact that the witness helped the sixth accused to write a statement while in DSS custody.
Justice Ibrahim Yusuf also came down hard on the seventh accused lawyer, Sikiru Solagberu, on Monday for reportedly disrespecting the court.
The judge described the content of the press interview granted by the lawyer as irritating, while he also fumed that the lawyer had to deliver a letter telling the court of his decision to withdraw from the case through his secretary.
He, however, accepted Solagberu’s apology through his counsel, Kehinde Eleja, SAN, and discharged him accordingly.
It is recalled that the court had on June 7 ordered the arrest of Sikiru Solagberu, counsel to one of the suspects standing trial for alleged rape and murder, for exhibiting conduct unbecoming of a lawyer after court proceeding by making uncomplimentary remarks in some television stations and social media platforms.
Justice Ibrahim Yusuf later adjourned the case till Tuesday, July 13, for further hearing on the matter.