Murdered banker: Court fixes Dec for final addresses

Murdered banker: Court fixes Dec for
final addresses
on november 01, 2013 at 6:53 am in news
… Adjourns Babalakin’s case
BY ONOZURE DANIA
Lagos — Justice Lateefat Okunnu of a Lagos High
Court, yesterday, fixed December 4, 2013 for the
adoption of final written addresses in the trial of
Akolade Arowolo, who allegedly murdered his
banker wife, Titilayo.
Arowolo, is standing trial of a one-count murder
charge over the death of his wife.
He had pleaded not guilty to the charge against him
when he was arraigned on December 21,2011 and
was subsequently remanded in Ikoyi Prison.
The counsel to the defendant, Olarenwaju Ajanaku,
in a filed application dated October 25, asked the
court for an order of extension of time to serve the
final written address on the state counsel, Femi
Adamson.
The judge granted the order, stating that “the order
is granted, the time runs from today and the reply is
to be filed within five days.”
Arowolo, who allegedly stabbed his wife to death on
his birthday, was 31 years old when he was brought
to court.
The Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions,
DPP, had alleged that the defendant murdered
Titilayo on June 24, 2011 at their residence at 8,
Akindeinde Street, Isolo, Lagos.
The prosecution closed its case against the
defendant on November.19, 2012, after calling 12
witnesses, who testified before the court.
The witnesses included the deceased father,
George Oyakhire and her step-mother, Adetoun.
They both testified that the marriage of the
defendant and the deceased was characterised by
domestic violence.
Another witness, Professor John Obafunwa, a
consultant pathologist and Chief Medical Examiner
of Lagos State, also testified that Titilayo was
stabbed 76 times.
However, Arowolo, denied the allegation that he
murdered his wife.
Arowolo had claimed on May 22, while giving his
testimony that his wife died after accidentally falling
on a knife that she was using to stab him during a
quarrel on his birthday.
He blamed his in-laws for the trouble in his
marriage to the deceased.
Meantime, Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo of a Lagos
High Court, sitting in Ikeja, also, yesterday,
adjourned the trial of the Chairman of Bi-Courtney
Ltd., Wale Babalakin, till November 27, 2013.
The adjournment was due to the re-assignment of
the case to a new judge, Justice Lawal-Akapo, by
the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Ayotunde
Phillips.
Babalakin was charged to court by the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for
allegedly transferring N4.7 billion on behalf of
convicted former Delta State Governor, James
Ibori.
He was arraigned alongside Alex Okoh and their
companies Stabilini Visioni Ltd., Bi-Courtney Ltd.
and Renix Nigeria Ltd.