The Trial of Mrs Udeme Otike-Odibi, the Lagos Lawyer accused of
killing her husband resumed on 23rd January after the Christmas
break.
At the resumed hearing, the Lagos State Director of Public
Prosecution, Mrs Shitta-Bey, leading two other directors and other
state counsel called the chief investigating officer, an ASP who
gave evidence of his investigations and conclusions about the
case.
ASP Bamidele told the court he was called to the home of the
deceased on the day of the incident where he collected evidence
before visiting the accused person who was receiving treatment for
her wounds in the hospital.
He gave details of his investigation activities and concluded by
saying the accused person killed her husband after hitting him with
a frying pan, stabbing him with a knife and later cutting off his
genitals. The ASP brought all the exhibits including the frying
pan, knife and other items to the court.
He said his conclusions were drawn from the report of the doctor
who treated the accused person and accounts of the frosty
relationship between the couple which he gathered from the deceased
friends. The evidence of the said doctor had however been earlier
discredited under cross examination
The ASP also attempted to tender the statements of the accused
person which he took without the mandatory provisions of the law
requiring the statements to be taken in the presence of the accused
persons lawyer or under video coverage.
This prompted an objection by Mr Oluseye Banjoko, counsel for
the defendant. The court adjourned the matter till 25th February to
conduct a trial within trial to determine if the statements were
properly collected or not.