By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka (Senior Correspondent)
The trial of one Williams Kenechi who allegedly strangled his girlfriend to death continued on Wednesday at the Lagos High Court Igbosere as an Investigative Police Officer (IPO), Inspector Joseph Addo, told the Court how the accused strangled his girlfriend, Lizzy Nzewi, to death with a wrapper and escaped to Abidjan with her car.
Addo made the startling revelation while giving evidence as the third prosecution witness in the on-going trial of the said Kenechi, who is standing trial on one-count charge of murder.
It would be recalled that the accused was sometime in 2016 arraigned before Justice Adedayo Akintoye for the alleged murder and he pleaded not guilty to the charge.
According to the charge sheet, the accused committed the alleged offence on July 19, 2014 at Plot 34 Green Estate Amuwo-Odofin in Lagos.
According to information contained in the charge sheet, the accused murdered Lizzy Nzewi (Nee Chukwubude) by strangling her to death with her wrapper. The alleged offence contravened Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, the witness said that he was the IPO at the Area ‘E’ Police station, Festac Town, Lagos, when the case was reported at the station, adding that during investigation, the accused made confessional statements which revealed that he visited the victim before her death.
The police officer said that the accused confessed to the police that he had a little misunderstanding with the deceased which led him to drag the woman’s phone with her
“The accused told me that it was during the struggle for the phone that he pushed the deceased to the bed, she slumped and died,” IPO revealed.
Addo further told the court that the accused took the deceased ATM card and withdrew the sum of N140,000 from her account.
“He took the victim’s car, her three phones and her ATM card to Abidjan where he was later arrested,” Addo said.
The IPO was led in evidence by the Lagos State chief counsel, Mr. Babatunde Sunmonu.
However, counsel to the accused, Mr. C. J. Jakponna, asked the court for a short adjournment to enable him bring a document he left for cross-examination.
Justice Akintoye adjourned the case until February 7 and 13 for continuation of trial.