Witness says Cynthia Osokogu’s murder was carefully planned

Author(s): Patience Ogbo
A police officer, Joseph Edo, on Friday told an Ikeja High Court that the murder of Cynthia Osokogu was carefully planned and executed.
Edo said this while testifying at the resumption of the trial of four persons charged with the  murder. The accused, Okwumo Nwabufo 33; Olisaeloka Ezike, 23; Orji Osita, 33; and Ezike Nonso, 25, were charged to court by the Lagos State. They allegedly chained and strangled 25-year-old Osokogu to death at Cosmilla Hotel, FESTAC Town, Lagos, on July 22, 2012.
Edo, who was led-in-evidence by the Attorney-General of Lagos State, Ade Ipaye, said that Osokogu was murdered in Room 1C of Cosmilla Hotel. He said that the police began investigations immediately they received the report of the murder.

25-year-old Cynthia Osokogu was strangled to death at Cosmilla Hotel, FESTAC Town, Lagos, on July 22, 2012

The witness said that after investigation, the second accused (Ezike) was apprehended in Awka, Anambra State. According to Edo, the arrest of Ezike led to the arrest of the first accused (Nwabufo) at his residence in FESTAC. The witness said that the police later discovered that the accused persons had carefully planned and executed the murder of Osokogu, who they met on Facebook, a social networking site.
Edo said that Nwabufo instructed Ezike to purchase the chain with which they tied the deceased after drugging her with Rophynol tablets. He said that Ezike bought the drug from Osita, a pharmacist and the third accused. The police officer said the accused ground the tablets into a powder, put it into a pack of Ribena drink and gave Osokogu to drink.
“After we arrested the first and second accused, we checked their mobile phones and saw the correspondence between them,” he said. “There was a photograph from Ezike confirming that he had purchased the chain.”
The witness said that Nwabufo accused Ezike of strangling Osokogu to death at the Area E Police Command, FESTAC.  ”Nwabufo confronted Ezike at the station, saying ‘Why did you bring me to the police to arrest me? Why didn’t you tell them you strangled
the lady to death?’” Edo said.
The cop added that Ezike confessed that after killing Osokogu, he placed her international passport on her chest and took pictures of it with his mobile telephone.
“He (Ezike) told us (police) how he transferred the pictures from his BlackBerry to a laptop, and showed us the pictures which were also on the laptop,” he said.
He said that the police also recovered some items belonging to the deceased at Ezike’s residence. The items, according to him, included an international passport and a driver’s licence issued in the deceased name, a vibrator, jewellery, a pair of shoes and two bags.
The police officer said that the fourth accused (Nonso) was later arrested after he sold one of Osokogu’s Blackberry telephone to a man in Port-Harcourt. The court admitted the recovered items as Exhibits P3 to P13.
Justice Olabisi Akinlade adjourned the case till July 5 for continuation of trial.