The suspects involved in the
murder of Cynthia Osokogwu have pleaded guilty to the six-count charge brought
against them.
The late Cynthia died after she was poisoned, raped and strangulated to death by two of the men, Okwumo Nwabufo and Ezike Olisaeloka. The court has, however, granted bail to the 3rd and 4th defendants in the case, while the 1st & 2nd who actually committed the offence of murder are still remanded at the Kirikiri prison in Lagos.
The late Cynthia died after she was poisoned, raped and strangulated to death by two of the men, Okwumo Nwabufo and Ezike Olisaeloka. The court has, however, granted bail to the 3rd and 4th defendants in the case, while the 1st & 2nd who actually committed the offence of murder are still remanded at the Kirikiri prison in Lagos.
The office of the
Attorney-General of Lagos State on Friday formally arraigned four men linked
with the murder of 24-year-old Cynthia Osokogu before an Ikeja High Court.
Cynthia, a
post-graduate student of Nassarawa State University and only daughter of
Maj.-Gen. Frank Osokogu (retd.), was found dead in a hotel room on July 22,
2012, where some friends she met on Facebook lodged her.
Lagos State
Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, who led the
prosecution team on behalf of the state brought Okwumo Nwabufo (33), Olisaeloka
Ezike (23), Orji Osita (33) and Nonso Ezike (25) before Justice Olabisi
Akinlade.
Nwabufo and
Olisaeloka were charged with four counts of conspiracy to commit felony, murder
and stealing and were accused of putting Rohypnol Flunitrazepan tablets in
Cynthia’s drink, chaining her hands and strangling her to death at Cosmilla
Hotel, Amuwo Odofin, FESTAC Town, Lagos.
The two were also
said to have stolen three Blackberry phones valued at N150,000, jewelry,
passport and driving licence belonging to the deceased.
Osita, a
pharmacist attached to Oxpham Pharmacy, FESTAC Town, was charged with
negligence for selling Rohypnol Flunitrazepan tablets to Olisaeloka without a
doctor’s prescription and failure to exercise due care while Olisaeloka’s
brother, Nonso, was accused of being in possession of a Bold 5 Blackberry
stolen from the deceased.
When the pleas of
all the accused persons were taken, they all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
After the pleas of
the accused persons were taken, Ipaye began the proceedings and called Ifeyinwa
Njebu, the former hotel receptionist, who was on duty at the time of the
incident, as the first witness.
Njebu, a 2010
Biochemistry graduate of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger
State, told the court that she was able to identify the first and second defendants
when the footage of the CCTV camera installed in the hotel was relayed.
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