An Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting in Lagos on Monday arraigned three persons in connection with the murder of one Helen Peters.
The three accused, a 57-year-old nurse, Taiwo Adebiyi, a security guard, Uwadiegwu Henry, 25 and his accomplice, one Monday Ochonu, 25, are standing trial before Chief Magistrate K.O. Ariyo for alleged conspiracy and murder, among other charges.
They allegedly conspired to kill the deceased by bounding her hands and legs backward, gagging her mouth before injecting her to death.
According to the prosecutor, Cpl. Mariam Dauda, Henry and his friends conspired to murder the deceased, his benefactor, on January 19, at about 3:00 p.m.
Dauda told the court, “Henry had invited the deceased to his home at 36, Fashola Street, Papa Ashafa in Agege, a suburb of Lagos, where he had bound her legs and hands backward, gagging her before strangulating her with the help of Ochonu, his friend.
“Henry had also invited Adebiyi, a nurse, to help in injecting the deceased, 40, with 50 miligramme of Lagatine injection to paralyse her, which eventually led to her death,” the prosecutor noted, adding that the offences were contrary to Sections 221 and 231 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. Section 221 stipulates a life imprisonment for the offender if found guilty.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty.
The Chief Magistrate, Ariyo, ordered the police to continue investigation into the matter.
She directed that the case file be duplicated and forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPPs for legal advice.
Ariyo said the court would not take the plea of the accused as it lacked the jurisdiction to do so.
The Magistrate said that upon the receipt of legal advice from the directorate, the accused would be arraigned at the appropriate court.
She, however, ordered that the accused be remanded at the Ikoyi Prisons pending when the DPPs would provide the court the legal advice and adjourned the case to March 30 for further hearing.
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