The public has been cautioned by Ikeja High Court Judge Hakeem Oshodi to cease leaving charms in his courtroom.
At the start of the trial for five individuals accused of killing Ifeanyi Etunmuse on Monday, Oshodi issued the warning.
“Charms should not be left in my courtroom by anyone. It ought not to happen again. Following the most recent delayed date in the murder case, a talisman was discovered, he stated.
“Do not leave your property here again,” the judge cautioned the court audience, referring to the charm as “property.” It is no longer functional.
The Lagos state government filed charges against the five suspects—Atunrase Omolabi, Shittu Olawale, Olaide Opeifa, Olanrewaju Adebiyi, also known as Maja, and Jamiu—according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
At the Western Funeral Home in Ijede, Ikorodu, they were accused of killing Etunmuse and attempting to kill her.
The defense team continued to cross-examine Babatunde Olayinka, a prosecution witness, earlier in the trial.
Olayinka was asked if he could state that the defendants were involved in the attack on the deceased by Olanrewaju Ajanaku, the main defense attorney for the first, second, and third defendants, as well as the fifth defendant later on.
Additionally, he inquired as to whether he had been able to see Oluwatosin Onamade, a local lawmaker and burial services entrepreneur,’s compound from where he was hiding after the claimed attack.
On April 16, 2021, the day of the incident, the witness told the court that he observed some individuals brandishing machetes at the Onamade complex, so he took cover in the cemetery and laid down for a bit.
The witness also testified in court that he turned back as he was hiding from the men brandishing machetes and noticed a dead body next to him.
“Can you say emphatically that the first, second, third, and fifth defendants had anything to do with the body you saw?” Ajanaku questioned the witness.
In response, the witness stated that he was unable to categorically state that the defendants were involved in any way with the body.
The prosecution witness was being cross-examined by the defense attorney for the fourth defendant, Mahmud Adesina. He was asked if he had previously informed the court that Femi Onamade, an Oluwatosin Onamade relative, was the one who had firsthand knowledge of the defendants.
Olayinka confirmed that Oluwatosin was able to identify the defendants, and Femi was the one who knew them.
Mr. M. T. Adewoye, the prosecution’s attorney, questioned the witness again and urged him to elaborate on his prior statement to the court stating that he was unable to identify the defendants.
Olayinka said in court that he did saw the individuals with the machetes when they entered the compound.
Adewoye asked the judge to summon Femi Onamade as a witness so that she may appear in court.
The judge then called Femi Onamade as a witness.
The matter was postponed by the judge until February 19, 2024, so that the trial may continue.
The prosecution had claimed that the suspects had also severed Femi Onamade’s wrist, Tosin Onamade’s younger brother, during a prior court appearance on April 6. NAN