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.
