An Ikeja High Court, sitting in Lagos State, Nigeria’s south-west region, has sentenced Mr Akolade Arowolo to death by hanging for killing his banker wife, Titilayo Arowolo.
While delivering her judgment on Friday, the presiding judge, Justice Lateefa Okunnu, held that even though there was no eyewitness to the incident, the circumstantial evidence adduced by the prosecution had proved the murder charge against the convict beyond all reasonable doubt.
Mr Arowolo had denied the allegation, insisting that the deceased wife mistakenly killed herself with the knife she wanted to stab him with when they were having a quarrel.
Justice Okunnu relied on the testimony of the forensic pathologist, Professor John Obafunwa, who testified that there were at least 76 stab wounds found on the deceased.
Contrary to the convict’s claim during trial, Professor Obafunwa had testified that the injuries must have been caused by sharp weapon applied on the deceased and could not have been self-inflicted.
The prosecution led by the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions, Mrs Olabisi Ogungbesan, called 15 witnesses among whom were police officers and the father, sisters and step-mother of the deceased.
Mrs Titilayo Arowolo was killed on June 24, 2011.