Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of an Ikeja High court was on Thursday told that guns, charms and other weapons were recovered from those charged for alleged sodomy against some women accused of stealing pepper at an Ejigbo market, a surburb of Lagos.
In his testimony before the court, a prosecuting witness, Bassey Uket informed the court that dane guns, one expended cartridges and knives were recovered by the police while charms were also found on Ahmed Adisa, the 6th defendant who confessed that the charms were for his personal protection.
Those standing trial before the court on a 19 count charge of torture and sodomy are the market leader, Isiaka Waidi, Buhari Yusuf, Abdullahi Haruna and Saheed Adisa.
Others are Lateef Tijani, Ahmed Adisa, Azeez Akinosun, Jimoh Busari, Adenuga Adekunle and Oloruntoyin Dauda, the woman leader of the market.
They were accused of torturing and sodomised Mrs Ajoke Agomo, her daughter, Nike Salami and her step daughter, Juliana Agomo over allegations of pepper theft.
The items which were admitted as exhibits were tendered by the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, Mrs Idowu Alakija , who led the Investigating Police Officer, IPO, Uket in evidence.
The police officer who said he visited the scene of the incident with the members of his team led by one ASP Ibraheem said that while the statements of others were taken by members of the team, he also recorded the statement of the 1st and 2nd defendants.
The witness said, though they did not commence investigation until January 2014,
Under cross-examination by counsel to the defendants, Messre J. A Bashir, Tunji Busari and Oluwakayode Ademiloye, the witness told the court that there was no video evidence of where the defendants statement was being taken and the reason for the absence of any legal practitioner was due to the fact that the defendants did not present any.
He further maintained that although the incident took place on February 11, 2013, but investigation on the matter did not commence untill January, the following year when they were notified about the case.
On whether one of the tortured women, Juliana is truly dead and buried, Uket told the court that he can’t ascertain the fact that the girl is actually dead.
“We went to their home town but we could not ascertain whether the girl is truly dead but we have not seen or heard anything from her since then, though hes father confirmed to us that his daughter is dead”
“The king of Ejigbo later told us when we visited his palace that Juliana is not dead and that we should not punish anyone unjustly” he said.
Further hearing in the case is adjourned till February 16. – Vanguard
