A 37-year-old journalist, Efe Omordia, on Tuesday testified as defence witness in the ongoing trial of Akolade Arowolo who allegedly killed his banker wife, Titilayo.
Omordia, who claimed to have worked with Leadership andNational Mirror newspapers as an investigative journalist, said Akolade is a “responsible” man, adding that he is role model to many inmates.
The journalist, who said she rose to the position of Chief Correspondent before she left National Mirror newspapers, told the court that she met Akolade sometimes in March 2012 at the Ikoyi Prison, Lagos.
Omordia, who now works with Joy Bringers International, a non-governmental organisation with interest in rehabilitating prisons’ inmates, said Akolade was one of her students at a character training school of the NGO.
She said, “I first heard about Akolade from the information in newspapers and social media. I used to view him then as an irresponsible man.
“But based on my experience as a trained investigative journalist and personal observation, the Akolade I met at the Ikoyi Prisons has displayed exemplary characters.
“He displayed consistently mature character so much that he was made the class secretary during the training.”
Omordia, while being cross-examined by Assistant Chief State Counsel, Femi Adamson, described Akolade as “a handsome man whom she had one-on-one interactions with, adding that she “felt more of respect for him than self-pity”.
After Omordia’s testimony, Akolade’s lawyer, Olanrewaju Ajanaku, told the court that none of the two remaining defence witnesses were available in court.
He urged the court to give an adjournment to enable him to produce the witnesses at a later date.
Justice Lateefah Okunnu, who urged Ajanaku to ensure the presence of the witnesses in court at the scheduled date, adjourned the case until March 27.
Punch Nigeria
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