Murder: Alleged Killer Llawyer Urges Court to Reject Statements Which was not Recorded

Udeme Otike-Odibi esq who was accused of killing her husband, Symphorosa Otike-Odibi, on May 3, 2018, an offences contrary to sections 165 (b) and 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, has urged the Lagos State High Court in Igbosere to reject her confessional statements made to the police.

According to to her lawyer, Oluseye Banjoko, noted that the constitution made provisions that the statement of any person arrested must be made in the presence of a legal practitioner or must be videoed. She stated that so long as the procedures as stated in the Administration of Criminal Justice Law was not complied with, it should be rejected.

Justice Adedayo Akintoye, adjourned for trial within trial to consider the admissibility of the statements. But was interjected by Banjoko with an application to stop the 'trial within trial' as the law was very clear on the admissibility of a confessional statement. This she said was a means to save the court the time of a 'trial within trial'

However, the witness who is an Assistant Superintendent of Police, told the court that he personally recorded the defendant’s initial statement. But the second time he went to see her at the hospital, during an interactive session, she wrote down the statements herself.

The prosecutuion lawyer, Shitta-Bey stated that the ACJL, which was referred to by the defence counsel, was a “procedural law, which cannot supersede the Evidence Act.”

Court djourned the case till April 21 for further hearing.