Four arraigned for Cynthia Osokogu’s murder

Posted by admin Headlines, Lagos, State News Saturday, February 9th, 2013

The office of the Attorney-General of Lagos State on Friday formally arraigned four men linked with the murder of 24-year-old Cynthia Osokogu before an Ikeja High Court.

Cynthia, a post-graduate student of Nassarawa State University and only daughter of Maj.-Gen. Frank Osokogu (retd.), was found dead in a hotel room on July 22, 2012, where some friends she met on Facebook lodged her.

Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, who led the prosecution team on behalf of the state brought Okwumo Nwabufo (33), Olisaeloka Ezike (23), Orji Osita (33) and Nonso Ezike (25) before Justice Olabisi Akinlade.

Nwabufo and Olisaeloka were charged with four counts of conspiracy to commit felony, murder and stealing and were accused of putting Rohypnol Flunitrazepan tablets in Cynthia’s drink, chaining her hands and strangling her to death at Cosmilla Hotel, Amuwo Odofin, FESTAC Town, Lagos.

The two were also said to have stolen three Blackberry phones valued at N150,000, jewelry, passport and driving licence belonging to the deceased.

Osita, a pharmacist attached to Oxpham Pharmacy, FESTAC Town, was charged with negligence for selling Rohypnol Flunitrazepan tablets to Olisaeloka without a doctor’s prescription and failure to exercise due care while Olisaeloka’s brother, Nonso, was accused of being in possession of a Bold 5 Blackberry stolen from the deceased.

When the pleas of all the accused persons were taken, they all pleaded not guilty to the charges.

After the pleas of the accused persons were taken, Ipaye began the proceedings and called Ifeyinwa Njebu, the former hotel receptionist, who was on duty at the time of the incident, as the first witness.

Njebu, a 2010 Biochemistry graduate of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, told the court that she was able to identify the first and second defendants when the footage of the CCTV camera installed in the hotel was relayed.

Via punch

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