Lawyer accused of killing husband inflicted injury on self – Witness

A witness, Booyemi Oyeneyin, in the trial of a 48-year-old female lawyer, Udeme Otike-Odibi, charged with stabbing her husband (Symphorosa) to death, says he suspects the wounds on the defendant were self-inflicted.

Ms Udeme, was on June 13, arraigned by Lagos State Government on two counts of murder and misconduct with regard to a corpse, in an Igbosere High Court in Lagos.

She pleaded not guilty and was remanded at Kirikiri prison.

At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, Mr Oyeneyin of Safeway Hospital at Sangotedo, Ajah, said that the defendant was brought to his hospital at 7.30 a.m. on May 3 by some men who claimed to be her neighbours.

Mr Oyeneyin, the seventh witness in the trial, was led in evidence by the prosecutor, Titilayo Shitta-Bey, the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution.

“On examining the defendant, I saw that she had six stab wounds on her abdomen, one on her thigh and a cut on her right finger.

“Her respiration was normal and the wounds were not deep but superficial.

“A test was conducted to check her blood level and to see if there was any internal bleeding, also an abdominal scan was carried out and the results were okay, there was no injury to her internal organs.

“She was stable, I was curious that she sustained such injuries without any injury to the internal organs.

“My suspicion was that the wounds might have been self-inflicted.’’

During cross-examination by the defence counsel, Oluseye Bamijoko, the doctor said that he was not a forensic expert to determine a self-inflicted wound.

Another witness, Shokunle Soyemi, an anatomical pathologist, said he conducted an autopsy on the late Symphorosa Otike-Odibi.

Mr Soyemi said during the external examination of the body, there was wound on the abdomen, an incised injury at the left finger, an injury at the groin area and a sutured injury on his manhood.

He said after external examination, the body was opened up and there was a lot of blood at the abdominal cavity.
“We saw a destruction of the mesentery vessel (organs that holds the intestines).

“After all the examination, it was discovered that the man lost 3.5 litres of blood from the injuries, death was ascribed to the destruction of the mesentery vessel and massive loss of blood,” Mr Soyemi said.

During cross-examination, the pathologist said embalming could not destroy evidence.

Another witness, Joy Akpan, narrated how she got to the crime scene.

She narrated what she saw and the exhibits recovered at the crime scene.

After listening to the witnesses, the judge, Adedayo Akintoye, adjourned the case until January 23, 2019.

The prosecutor had during arraignment told the court that Mrs Udeme committed the offences on May 3, at Diamond Estate, Sangotedo, Lekki, Lagos.

He said that Mrs Udeme stabbed her husband and mutilated his corpse by cutting his genitals.

The offences contravened Sections 165 (b) and 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

Section 165 (b) provides five years imprisonment while Section 223 is punishable by death. (NAN)