Justice Yetunde Adesanya of a Lagos High Court, sitting In Tafawa Balewa Square Lagos was, today, 6th of December, 2021, told of how an Abuja-based businessman, Mr Ikechukwu Efulu, allegedly escaped death in the hand of Daniel Ibeachi, while pretending to buy his Abuja property worth One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (N150, 000, 000.00) only.
He said this in his evidence-in-chief in the ongoing trial of three defendants fIngered in the alleged murder of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FIRMAN Electrical Generators, Ignatius Odunukwe.
Aside from Daniel Ibeaji, other defendants standing trial are Uzor Arinze and Cletus Solomon. They are standing trial on a three-count charge of conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping and murder brought against them by the Lagos State government.
The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) had on 28th August 2021 arraigned them on three counts charge for allegedly killing the businessman while pretending to buy a property from him.
Elulu, while being led by the counsel to the prosecution, Olayemi Shofolu, told the court that he met the first defendant (Ibeaji) sometime in 2016 through an estate agent who introduced him as his client.
The fourth prosecution witness told the court that, the first time he met the defendant, the defendant came with his wife, daughter and son. He noted that they discussed and agreed on One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (N150, 000, 000.00) only as the price for the property.
Efulu further told the court that the defendant pressured him to accept Dollars but he refused and insisted on bank transactions.
He said the defendant even came up with some business ideas while they were discussing and promised to introduce him to some businesses.
The witness said the defendant told him that he would sell his Dollars and put the money in his brother’s account.
Efulu said the day the defendant was to pay for the property, he asked him to come to his house so they would go to the bank.
Narrating how he nearly lost his life in the defendant’s house, the witness said, when he went to the defendant’s house, he was handcuffed and his legs were chained by the defendant and two other men who are facing trial in another case in Abuja.
He told the court that the defendant told him to bring Five Hundred Million Naira (N500,000,000.00) before he would allow him to go.
The witness also narrated how he was rescued with the help of some automobile mechanics behind the defendant’s house who called the police after the witness had raised the alarm.
He told the court that they were taken to the police station in Abuja.
He also narrated how the key to the handcuff and leg chain which the defendant used in locking him up in his house helped to solve another murder case of a Bayelsa politician who was killed by the same defendant while pretending to buy a property from the politician.
Earlier, in the proceeding, Mr Friday Clement, a security man and a friend of the deceased, told the court of how he volunteered and accompanied the police to Abuja where the third defendant (Solomon) was traced and arrested.
Clement, the third prosecution witness, said that Solomon was already in police detention in Area 10 for another offence when he was arrested.
His words: “Immediately Solomon saw that the police who came for him were from Zone 2, Lagos Command, he started shouting, that he will confess, he will confess continuously.
“He said that Chief (deceased) has been appearing in his dream asking him to help his family recover his body.”
Clement said arrangements were made and Solomon was flown to Lagos.
According to him, “while we were inside the plane, I asked Solomon if he would remember where they dumped the chief’s body and Solomon answered yes.”
Clement said when they landed in Lagos, police took Solomon to Zone 2 Police Command for further investigation.
Mr C.J. Jiakponna represented the first and second defendants while Mr A.O. Ogusanya represented the third defendant and they cross-examined the witness.
The witness, while answering questions from Jiakponna, told the court that he had worked for 20 years as a security guard. He noted that when he arrested a suspect as a security guard, he would hand the suspect over to the police.
He, however, said that he did not make any statement at the police station because he only represented the family of the deceased by accompanying the police to Abuja.
He also said he didn’t know who among the defendants was arrested first.
After the evidence of the two witnesses, the trial judge subsequently adjourned the case to 23rd February 2022 for continuation of trial. the
