Nelson Ekoh, the family lawyer of the late Titilayo who was allegedly murdered by her husband, Kolade Arowolo, on June 24 has revealed that there is enough evidence to nail the accused who has been slated for psychiatric test by the police.
According to him, the police have discovered something else in the course of investigation and that was why they had concluded plans to take him for a psychiatric test.
He said the police were in order in taking the accused person for a psychiatric test since the matter would be contested in court. He noted that the manner in which the accused’s wife was murdered triggered the issue of psychiatric test.
“She was killed in a very gruesome manner, which cannot be carried out by a sane person in any normal circumstance. She suffered multiple stabs and her body was mutilated in the process. The body parts that were picked from the crime scene have been sent with her body for forensic analysis,” Ekoh said.
He also revealed that the result of the psychiatric test would be contested in court. This was because of the circumstances surrounding his escape from the scene of the crime.
“Based on the evidence gathered by the police at the crime scene, he was very sane as at the time of committing the crime. He was seen leaving the apartment from the back door with blood-stained hands. The articulate manner in which the alleged crime was carried out on his 30th birthday suggested that it was carried out by a sane man.”
Ekoh also stated that in a delicate case as this, which involved the loss of a human life, all avenues were to be explored in proving the case from both sides, the prosecution and the defence. “There is enough evidence to nail the accused. There had been cases of domestic abuse on his late wife. They are always having problems which result in him assaulting her physically.” He debunked the rumour that the late Titilayo’s family were keeping mum over the case, stating that he was now the family’s representative on the case.
“Titi’s father is still in shock over the brutal death of his favourite child but he will speak in due time and that is very soon.”
Meanwhile, Lagos State Government has vowed to ensure that justice was done.
The Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire who oversees affairs of the Ministry for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) revealed this when a Gender-Based Violence Response Network (GBVRN) a non-governmental organisation stormed her office on a protest visit over the gruesome murder of the deceased, just as she maintained that the state government would set up a committee to follow up the case to the letter to curb the spate of domestic violence.
Pained by the incident, she vowed that the state government would monitor the case till the end and verify the psychiatric test on Arowolo, to block any form of manipulation and ensure that justice was meted out to the killer.
According to her ,“it is barbaric. I felt disturbed when I heard the news. What will happen to the three year-old child who witnessed the murder? She may be subjected to psychological trauma if not managed. Is that fair?”
She lamented that thousands of Nigerian women were suffering in silence, adding that “they don’t complain of battering by their spouse believing the marriage should not break.
“I can’t just understand the scenario that led to Titilayo Arowolo’s death. I don’t accept that it was due to frustration or poverty. The case must be thoroughly investigated. Law enforcement agents should not hide under psychiatric complains to muddle the case. We’ll leave the investigation to the police but I assure you that the state government will conduct its investigation to ensure justice prevails,” she added.
She charged other state governments to emulate Lagos State by ensuring the speedy passage of the law against domestic violence, noting it was only when there was an enabling law that the campaign against the crime could be properly addressed.
By KATE HALIM and OLUWOLE FAROTIMI
No comments:
Post a Comment