Cynthia Osokogu: Defendant Loses Right To File Final Written Address

Cynthia Osokogu: Defendant Loses Right To File Final Written Address

Justice Olabisi Akinlade of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja Thursday foreclosed the right of one of the four men, Ezike Olisaeloka, charged with the gruesome murder of Cynthia Osukogu, a postgraduate student of Nassarawa State University, to file his final writte‎n address for ignoring the court's ordered mandating him to do so.

It will be recalled that Justice Akinlade had in June 2015 ordered both the defendants and the prosecution to file their final written addresses after they both closed their cases.

But while others obeyed the court, Olisaeloka, who is the second defendant, has so far refused to file his address, in spite of six adjournments to enable him do so.

The late Osokogu was murdered on the 22nd of July, 2012 at Cosmilla Hotel, Lake View Estate, Festac Town, Lagos by men she met and became friends with on popular social media platform, Facebook.

Those accused of the crime are Okwumo Nwabufo 34; Olisaeloka, 24; Orji Osita, 33; and Ezike Nonso, 25, they were arraigned before the court on a six count charge of conspiracy, robbery and murder brought against them by the state.

The alleged offences contravened sections 221, 249, 285 and 327 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011.

At the resumed hearing of the matter on Thursday, Justice Akinlade, ordered the prosecution Mrs Bola Akinshete, to file her reply to final written addresses of the defendants.

The Judge said " I am not going to wait indefinitely for the second defendant's counsel to file his final written address, it is on record that the court has given the second defendant several opportunities for him to file his written address and since the last adjourned date up till now he has ‎been unable to file."

"It is obvious that the counsel is not ready to file his final written  ‎address I hereby foreclose the right of the second defendant to file his final  written address ‎and ordered the prosecution to file her reply on the final written addresses."

The Judge had adjourned the case to December 8, for adoption of the final written addresses.

Earlier the prosecution, Bayo Akinshete had urged the court to foreclose the right of the second defendant from filing his final written address to enable her file her reply.

Akinshete" said since 16 June 2016, despite the order of your lordship for the second defendant to file his final written address he has refused to file I therefore urge your lordship to foreclose his right to filing ‎the address to enable us make progress in this matter. "

Cynthia Osokogu’s trial had suffered several adjournments due to the delay tactics of the defence counsel.

It will be recalled that Justice Akinlade at the last adjourned date on June 8, 2016, expressed displeasure over the delay of second defence counsel to filing his final written address and threatend to imposed a substantial cost on the second defendant over failure.

According to the judge, the defence counsel is delaying the case, which she said, is of interest to the public.

The court also noted that public always think that it is the court that is delaying the matter, not knowing that it is the defendants’ counsel.

The prosecution had told the court that the 25-year-old Osokogu, who was resident in Abuja, was lured to Lagos, where she was killed.