Admin l Wednesday, Nov.07, 2018
IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – Chijioke Akukuma, brother in-law to Udeme Otike-Odibi a female lawyer who allegedly murdered her husband Symphorosa Otike-Odibi, today told a Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere, that he aborted his trip when he got a call from his wife Dr Awunli Akukuma, that her brother has been killed by his wife.
“On May 3,2018, I was at the Airport, when i was called by my wife that her elder brother Symphorosa has been killed by his wife”.
Akukuma said that prior to that, he had on May 2, exchange messages on WhatsApp with the defendant, who had come to his house a week earlier to complain to him about the challenges she and the deceased were having in their marriage.
He said that the night before May 3, he was chatting with Udeme on WhatsApp, at about 11p.m, on his way back from the office, telling her that
they had been on his mind and that he sent her chat because it was too late to call her and that he will be traveling the next day and that he will call
her when he gets back.
Udeme, 48, is facing a two-count charge of murder and misconduct. She was arraigned on June 13, by the Lagos State Government and she had pleaded not guilty to the offences and was remanded at Kirikiri prison. The prosecutor had during arraignment told the court that Udeme committed the alleged offences on May 3, at Diamond Estate, Sangotedo, Lekki, Lagos.
The prosecution said that Udeme stabbed her husband and mutilated his corpse by cutting off his genitals. The offences committed are Punishable Under Sections 165 (b) and 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
Section 165 (b) provides five years imprisonment while Section 223 is punishable by death. At the resumed hearing of the matter yesterday, Akukuma, who is the sixth prosecution, witness said that when Udeme came to his house a week earlier, she had told him that Symphorosa was not being supportive to her, adding that when she wanted to do a business, he wasn’t supportive.
The witness who was testfying before Justice Adedayo Akintoye, said that Udeme also said she didn’t like the ponography pictures that her husband’s friends were sending to him on WhatsApp.
Akukuma who is an engineer and was led in evidence by Titilayo Shitta-Bey, the Director of Public Prosecution DPP, said that he has known Udeme sinceshe got married to his brother in-law and the deceased for over 25 years. He said after Udeme complained to him, he counseled her and said ‘Why don’t you go for your trip in UK, take care of your health and give us the opportunity to talk to Symphorosa’, because she told me about her trip to UK, and she had also told me that he was having affairs.
When I spoke with him, about the issues, He said that he had been trying to make the marriage work, he said that one of the things that made him mad was that she (Udeme), sent a message to one of his friend’s wife about his affairs, he said that was extremely bad.
He also said that the deceased told him that he was no longer interested in the marriage. According to Akukuma, Udeme did not respond to his WhatsApp messages until 12:09 a.m, when she replied may God forgive you, I sent message back that should I call you, her response was no just pray for us, so I went back to sleep because I had a flight to catch early in the morning.
The witness further told the court that around 3am, a call came in and his wife picked the call and gave him the phone, adding that the caller was
Charles his brother in-law who told him that Udeme’s mum called him that something was happening at their house. He said that they called no one answered so they sent one of their neighbour, who went there, called and knocked and when there was no response they left.
“One Sunday Agboola went back and called again, she picked and he told her that my wife has been trying to reach her, she told him that everything was fine that she will call my wife later, so I assumed that everything was fine, that was about past 4 am, so I didn’t go back to bed, I prepared for my flight, immediately I boarded my flight, I was called by my wife that Symphorosa has been killed by his wife, so I got off the flight,” Akukuma said.
” I got off the flight and called a retired Assistant Police Commissioner, I told him that my brother in-law has been killed that he
should call the appropriate authorities that I was on my way from the airport, I gave him the address.
During cross examination by the defendant’s lawyer Oluseye Bamijoko, the witness said that the impression he got from Udeme, was that she wanted the marriage to work, but that it was different from the impression she gave him in December 2017, was that she was no longer interested in the marriage.
He also said that though Symphorosa could be very stubborn, but that he has never seen him being violent with Udeme, because if he was, she would have told him. Earlier A house help Blessing Austin, told the court that in December, 2017, when she went to clean the deceased and defendant’s room, she’s saw the couple’s wedding picture turn and thrown into the dust bin, so she packed and threw it away.
She said “On December 4, 2017, she travelled outside the country and came back in April, during Easter, since she came back her character changed towards her husband, she wasn’t cooking for her husband, she cooks only her food and her husband buys his own food”.
The witness who is the fifth prosecution witness said that she cleans the deceased and defendant’s house twice a week, on Tusedays and Saturdays adding that her resumption time was 8am and closes at 8pm.
” On 28 of April when I came to clean their house, I heard when Udeme, started quarreling with her husband that why did he send his daughter to
school outside the country, my madam, later told my oga that he should lower his voice that I was downstairs, so I could no longer hear their
argument when they loved their voice,” Austin said.
According to her, after I had finished cleaning the house, Oga Sym paid me my salary and said I should not come that he and Udeme were traveling
outside the country that he will call me back to tell me when to resume. However Justice Akintoye adjourned till November 20, for continuation of
hearing.
