Justice Hakeem Oshodi of Ikeja High Court issued a warning on Monday to the public, cautioning against leaving charms in his courtroom.
The admonition came during the ongoing trial of five men charged with the murder of Ifeanyi Etunmuse.
Addressing the courtroom, Justice Oshodi expressed displeasure over the discovery of a talisman after the last adjourned date, referring to it as ‘property.’
He emphasized, “No one should leave charms in my courtroom. It should not be repeated. It does not work anymore.”
The Lagos state government had brought charges against the accused individuals: Atunrase Omolabi, Shittu Olawale, Olaide Opeifa, Olanrewaju Adebiyi (aka Maja), and Jamiu Omosanya (aka Orobo).
They faced charges of attempted murder and the murder of Etunmuse at Western Funeral Home in Ijede, Ikorodu.
Earlier in the trial, the defence counsel continued with the cross-examination of the prosecution witness, Babatunde Olayinka.
Olanrewaju Ajanaku, the lead defence counsel to the first, second, and third defendants, and later on the fifth defendant, asked Olayinka if he could say that the defendants had a hand in the attack on the deceased.
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He also asked him if he was able to get a view of the compound of the local politician and funeral services businessman, Oluwatosin Onamade from his hiding place following the alleged attack.
The witness told the court that he hid himself in the cemetery, and lay down for a while to hide himself from a group of men that he saw wielding machetes at the Onamade compound on the day of the incident, April 16, 2021.
The witness further told the court that as he hid himself from the machete-wielding men, he turned around and saw a dead body beside him.
Ajanaku asked the witness: “Can you say emphatically that the first, second, third and fifth defendant had anything to do with the body you saw?”
The witness replied that he could not say emphatically that the defendants had anything to do with the body.
The defence counsel to the fourth defendant, Mahmud Adesina, continued with the cross-examination of the prosecution witness and questioned him on whether he had told the court earlier that Femi Onamade, a relative of Oluwatosin Onamade, was the one who knew the defendants in person.
Olayinka affirmed that it was Femi who knew the defendants and Oluwatosin who can identify them.
The prosecution counsel, Mr M. T. Adewoye, re-examined the witness and asked him to clarify what he meant when he told the court earlier that he could not identify the defendants.
Olayinka told the court that he indeed saw the machete-wielding men when they came into the compound.
Adewoye requested the court to issue a witness summons for Femi Onamade to appear in court.
The judge, then issued a witness summons for Femi Onamade.
The judge adjourned the matter until Feb. 19, 2024, for the continuation of trial.
NAN