A mild drama ensued at the Oyo State High Court on Tuesday, when a prosecution witness, Chief Akinpelu Adelodun, in a case involving Yewande Oyediran, a lawyer accused of killing her husband, denied ever demanding any money through anyone before appearing as a witness in the ongoing trial.
Not done, Chief Adelodun also returned the cheque of N5,000 issued to him by the court to cover his travelling expenses to and from the court.
The landlord of the deceased, was alleged to have, in a letter, requested for his transport fare before he would appear in court.
He, however, explained that he did not instruct anybody to write on his behalf, and that he neither saw the letter nor approved it before it was presented in court.
More so, Chief Adelodun told that court that at no time did he ever appoint one Mr. Michael Lana as his lawyer or representative.
he murder case had, as at the last hearing, which held on November 9, 2016, been adjourned when a purported letter of request was presented to the court by the prosecuting counsel informing the court of the demands of the principal witness demanding payment of N500,000.00 before they could continue to appear in court.
Before the Presiding Judge, Justice Muktar Abimbola, of the Oyo State High Court adjourned the case till December 5, 2016 for continued hearing and consideration of the defense counsel’s application for bail, the private prosecutor for the plaintiff, Akinyele Sanyaolu, had told the court that he received the letter from the prosecution witnesses, Chief John Adelodun and Mrs. Esther Adelodun, Yewande’s landlord and landlady, respectively, demanding payment of travel expenses incurred in attending court proceedings in the past and in future.
Consequently, the judge, citing section 198 of the Criminal Procedure Law, which favours such request anyway by a witness, had requested the prosecution counsel to direct an application for payment of N5, 000 to each of the witnesses to use as travel expenses from Akobo area of Ibadan to the State High court Ring road, Ibadan, to the Court Registrar for immediate payment in a certified cheque to be attached to the witness’ summons warning that, “If they refuse to come, the court has the power to compel them to come; that’s what the criminal procedure law says.’’
Accepting the returned cheque during proceedings on Tuesday, Justice Abimbola, however, directed that the cheque be paid into the treasury of the Oyo State Judiciary.
Meanwhile, the prosecutor appealed to the court not to make any issue from the submission, to save the profession of the lawyer involved, stating that Mr. Lana had insisted that the letter was written with the consent of the witness.
As ruled, three witnesses were also presented by the prosecution at the hearing; one of them, Chief Adelodun had testified that the suspect, Yewande Oyediran, indeed stabbed her husband to death.
While witnessing before Justice Abimbola, the landlord confirmed that he was with the couple to settle their first dispute, but that Yewande insisted that she would ensure that Adelowo, her deceased husband, was injured.
This he said, continued till three o’clock in the morning, when Yewande promised to be calm, but was surprised to hear another noise some minutes to six in the morning.
The matter was later adjourned to December 21, 2016 for further hearing.
