A DEFENCE witness in the murder trial of Cynthia Osokogwu, Olisaeloka Chidera-Ezike in a Lagos High Court sitting at Igbosere yesterday denied that he ever met Cynthia Osokogwu in person, declaring that he only heard about her from his uncle, Okwumo Nwabufo, the first defendant.

He said that his uncle, (Okwumo Nwabufo) who is the first defendant talks about her glowingly and that they are very close and had even told him that he has plans to bring her home in anticipation to marry her and they just laughed over it whenever he said that.

Chidera-Ezike, who is the second defendant in the murder case, said this while he was being cross-examined by the Attorney General of Lagos state Mr. Ade Ipaye, who is the prosecutor in the matter.

The defendant told Justice Olabisi Akinlade that he has never seen the deceased with the first defendant and that he did not purchase the flight ticket for Cynthia to come to Lagos from Abuja as stated in the statement he wrote before the police, maintaining that the statement was made under duress.

He however, admitted that he went to Cosmila Hotel on July 20, 2012, with the first defendant, because he was eager to meet his (Cynthia) girlfriend that he has spoken so much about.
Chidera-Ezike also said that when they got to the hotel and the first defendant made enquiries about her they were told by the receptionist that there was nobody with such name lodging in the hotel, adding that the first defendant insisted that the deceased was in the hotel they refused and said that they can’t be going from one hotel room to the other so they collected the hotel complimentary card which has the hotel phone number and left.

He also denied never seeing the first defendant make any calls to the deceased stating that while they were having lunch in the first defendant’s house at Festac, the first defendant decided to call the hotel to confirm if they have any latest news about the deceased, but the call didn’t go through so he asked him to call the hotel with his own number, which he did and when the call came through he heard a female voice at that time the first defendant was on another call so he signalled to him that someone has picked, Nwabufo collected the phone and asked questions about the deceased and then gave him back his phone and he made little pleasantries with the receptionist on the phone around 2p.m.

Earlier the defendant, who was led in evidence by his counsel Michael Ajayi, said that he was arrested at Nnewi in Anambra State, where he went to visit his grandfather who was ill. He said a friend of his named Oril called him and told him that she wanted to go to Nnewi to see him so he gave her his address, on her arrival when he went to pick her immediately two men alighted from the car showed him a gun collected his two phones, handcuffed him and bundled him in to the car.

He said that at first he thought he was kidnapped because they refused to tell him what he has done and where they were taking him to but that after some time he discovered that they were heading to Lagos, stating that all along, he was handcuffed and when they got to Lagos they went to the Festac police station, dragged out of the vehicle, signed some papers and then was taken to the area commander’s office upstairs and when the area commander saw him, the area commander called him a murderer and a thief, slapping him severally.

He added that while testifying the area commander showed him a photograph and asked him if he knows the person on the photograph, he said no and then brought another one out and asked him if he knows the people on the photograph, he said yes that it is himself and his uncle the first defendant that are on the photograph.

He said he was also asked if he knew where he could be found he said yes and immediately took them to his house, he showed them his compound and while he was still in the vehicle, he heard a gun short and after a while his uncle was dragged out in his underwear and threw them in the vehicle blindfolded.

According to him, when they got to the police station they were taken to the area commander’s office and showed the first defendant the same photographs that were earlier shown to him and when the first defendant was asked if he knew the person on the photograph, he said yes and immediately the commander slapped them and called them thieves and murderers.

When the area commander asked who the girl was, the first defendant said she is his girl friend, then he said we must know what happened to her but when we kept saying we don’t know what happened he asked the junior police officers to take them to the torture room and at the torture room, they tore their cloths on their body and were left with only boxers.
“After so much beating and torture they told us to confess and admit that we know what happened to the deceased, they took us outside and by that time my boxers was torn already and /the first defendant was hanged upside down with handcuffs on our hands and legs.”

Chidera-Ezike, also mentioned Inspector Frank as one of the officers who tortured him to admit to the crime that they murdered the (Cynthia) deceased, but that he kept saying he doesn’t know anything about the deceased.

Justice Akinlade adjourned the matter till April 28 and May 15, for continuation of trial.