A police officer, Inspector Israel Ojo, told the Ikeja Special Offences Court how a 30-year-old actor, Temitayo Ogunbusola, allegedly stabbed his neighbour, Oladotun Osho, to death over a N1,000 electricity bill.
Mr Ogunbusola pleaded not guilty to murder.
The police officer told the court he was an officer in charge of surveillance in the Ikotun division when the case was reported at about 7:00 p.m. on May 15, 2020. He was led in evidence by the state counsel, Adebanke Ogunnde. The cop told the court that the deceased’s brother, Joshua Osho, reported the case at the station.
When I got to the hospital the deceased was rushed to, I met him on a stretcher with a deep cut on his left chest, lying lifeless. I also met the defendant, who had also sustained minor injuries, sitting in front of the hospital with a knife. He said he wanted to stab more people, but my team and I stylishly collected the knife from him and took him to the station,” said the policeman.
He added, “There were many people, mostly Hausa boys, in front of the hospital, and I asked what happened, and they told me the defendant was apprehended when he wanted to escape. I took the defendant to a hospital beside the station to treat the injuries he sustained. His statement was taken voluntarily, while the statement of the brother of the deceased was also taken.”
According to the police officer, the investigation revealed that the deceased, with some other tenants and the defendant, had issues with electricity bills which the latter refused to pay N1,000.
The defendant, the court heard, stabbed the now-dead neighbour in the chest with a knife following a disagreement over the bill.
While being cross-examined by the defence counsel, Mr Wale Ademoyejo, the witness, said he had been in service for 20 years and wrote a statement for the defendant because he was not in a good mood. The police officer said he based his statement on what he was told and that the defendant also confirmed that he stabbed the deceased.
He also confirmed to the court that he was aware that the deceased defendant and other tenants came to the station on the morning of the alleged incident over the electricity bill and were urged to maintain peace.
The witness, however, said he was not aware that the defendant came back again to the station to complain that his neighbours did not allow him into the house. According to him, the defendant was given a chance to call his lawyer, but he called his aunt to the station instead. He also confirmed to the court that he did not record the defendant’s statement on his phone because he was using a small phone.
“The complainant said that when the defendant picked up the knife, all the occupants ran out of the room, but the deceased drew closer to him. The complainant, while making his statement, said that the defendant stabbed the deceased in the compound, but when we got to the house, none of the tenants was ready to write a statement, and I did not make any arrest,” said Mr Ademoyejo.
“I called a photographer to take a picture of the deceased at their hospital, and I can not tell if this is a case of manslaughter because the defendant confirmed that he stabbed the deceased,” the witness said.
Another IPO, ASP Kazeem Oladimeji, attached to State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti, testified that the case was transferred to him on May 18, 2022, and his team visited the crime scene at No 4 Sebil Kazeem St., in Ikotun-Egbe.
Mr Oladimeji said his team filed a form for a coroner, but the deceased’s family declined a post-mortem examination because they were Muslims, and the body was released to them for burial.
According to him, he took the defendant to the police clinic when he felt sick while in their custody.
The defendant’s statement, the deceased photograph, a copy of the coroner inquest form and the outpatient index card form of the deceased were admitted in evidence after no objection from the defence.
The witness further said the investigation on May 25, 2022, revealed that the defendant was a tenant and had not been cooperating with the co-tenants.
He, however, confirmed to the court that his team could not retrieve the knife used in the alleged murder as they could not find it.
“We tried to retrieve the knife, but it is not in our possession because the defendant threw it away after he used it,” he said.
Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe adjourned the case until January 17 for cross-examination and continuation of trial.
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