Daud Olatunji
Justice Hakeem Oshodi of the Lagos State High Court has sounded the alarm on Monday, exposing a disturbing trend of charms and fetish objects being left inside his courtroom during the trial of five men accused of the murder of Ifeanyi Etunmuse.
The judge sternly warned against this practice, declaring, “No one should leave charms in my courtroom. It should not be repeated.”
The eerie discovery unfolded after the commencement of the trial involving the Lagos State Government’s charges against the five suspects—Atunrase Omolabi, Shittu Olawale, Olaide Opeifa, Olanrewaju Adebiyi (aka Maja), and Jamiu Omosanya (aka Orobo).
The charges, centering on attempted murder and the murder of Etunmuse at Western Funeral Home in Ijede, Ikorodu, have taken a peculiar turn with the inclusion of supernatural elements.
Justice Oshodi, referring to the charms as ‘property,’ issued a strong warning to the courtroom audience, asserting, “Do not leave your property here again. It does not work anymore.”
As the trial progressed, the defence counsel intensively cross-examined the prosecution witness, Babatunde Olayinka.
Olanrewaju Ajanaku, lead defence counsel for multiple defendants, probed Olayinka’s ability to link the defendants to the attack, raising questions about the reliability of witness testimonies.
During the cross-examination, Olayinka recounted his hiding in the cemetery to escape machete-wielding men at the Onamade compound on the incident’s day.
His revelation that he turned around to find a dead body beside him added a chilling dimension to the courtroom drama.
Ajanaku sought clarity, asking, “Can you say emphatically that the first, second, third, and fifth defendant had anything to do with the body you saw?” The witness, however, could not provide a conclusive connection between the defendants and the body.
Further complicating the proceedings, Mahmud Adesina, defence counsel to the fourth defendant, questioned Olayinka about Femi Onamade’s knowledge of the defendants. Olayinka affirmed Femi’s familiarity with the accused, emphasizing Oluwatosin Onamade’s ability to identify them.
The prosecution counsel, M. T. Adewoye, in a bid to unravel the complexities, requested a witness summons for Femi Onamade, whose presence could shed light on the defendants’ identities.
In a surprising turn, the judge issued the witness summon for Onamade, adjourning the trial until February 19, 2024. The courtroom saga unfolds against a backdrop of mysticism and uncertainty, challenging the boundaries of conventional legal proceedings.
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