The ongoing trial of six suspected killers of People’s Democratic Party, PDP, 2007 governorship candidate for Lagos State, Engineer Funsho Williams, took a new twist yesterday as a prosecution witness told a Lagos High Court in Igbosere that the post-mortem conducted on the deceased in 2006 got damaged due to epileptic power supply.
The witness, a pathologist and Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of forensics at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, Ovie Oyokomino, while testifying before the court, claimed that the perishable evidence such as blood samples and vitreous humour of the eye went bad due to interrupted power supply in the course of refrigeration.
According to Oyokomino, he visited the scene of the crime at about 12:30pm with his men, following a distress call from the Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, Zone II.
He said the mattress and cushion containing shoe prints were retrieved from the deceased’s house at Corporation Drive, Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi and a blood-stained pink-coloured shirt was found in a Samsonite suitcase in the third bedroom.
Oyokomino added that a green rope that was planted at various places within the premises was used by the alleged killers to secure access into the deceased’s duplex.
The DCP also told the trial judge, Justice Ebenezer Adebajo, that DNA materials were collected from the suspects and tested in a forensic lab in Britain, and that the suspects were released after the DNA report exonerated them.
Addressing the court, the prosecutor, Mrs O. A. Akin-Adesomojo, noted that as a result of the bad state of what she termed perishable exhibits, it was necessary to obtain further samples so that those who may not be involved in the crime would be freed.
However, counsel to the defendants, Agbara Okezie, while objecting, noted that the prosecution had since July 27, 2006, when the deceased was murdered, to state their case, adding “it will be unfair to come through the back door to make another request.”
Trial continues on June 3.
