Date: 2021-07-12

The Department of State Services on Monday tendered 40 items as exhibits at the resumed hearing of the trial of eight accused persons arraigned for the alleged rape and murder of a 300-level student of the University of Ilorin, Omowumi Olajide, at the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin.

Among the items tendered by the DSS operative, Mr Igwe Imo, was a wooden toy gun allegedly used by the defendants to commit the crime.

The eight accused persons - Abdulazeez Ismail, Ajala Oluwatimileyin (aka Jacklord), Oyeyemi Omogbolahan, Abdulkarim Shuaib (aka Easy), Kareem Rasheed (Rashworld), Abdullateef Abdulrahman, Daud Adebayo (aka Bashman) and Akande Oladoja - were brought to court for alleged rape, murder and armed robbery.

The first three defendants are standing trial for alleged conspiracy, rape, murder and armed robbery of the 24-year-old student in her Tanke, Ilorin residence on June 2, 2021.

The other five accused persons are standing trial for alleged conspiracy, stealing and receiving stolen property belonging to the deceased.

Other items tendered by the DSS as exhibits included one blue Samsung phone, one black Lenovo phone, one golden Nokia phone, one motherboard, one blue Itel phone, one black HP 15 laptop, one black HP pro book, and two other laptops, as well as two hard drives.

The DSS also presented three witnesses, including the girlfriend of the eighth accused, Zainab Olaiya.

The witness told the court that Oladoja called her with a phone number suspected to be that of the late Olajide.

She was tracked and invited by the DSS, which led to the arrest of the accused.

A policeman, Adewale Adesola, while being led in evidence described the sixth accused person as a neighbour he had known for the past 15 years.

Court remands eight suspected rapists, killers of UNILORIN student Trial of eight slain UNILORIN student's rape suspects stalled He said the accused gave him the stolen phone for safe keep.

However, the cop said he kept the phone with him between June 10 and 12, 2021, adding that he had yet to institute an investigation on the item when he was invited by the DSS.

Adesola told the court that he queried the accused about the source of the phone, which he suspected to be a stolen item.

Justice Ibrahim Yusuf also knocked the seventh accused lawyer, Sikiru Solagberu, on Monday for allegedly disrespecting the court.

The judge described the content of the press interview granted by the lawyer as irritating, while also fuming that the lawyer delivered a letter telling the court of his decision to withdraw from the case through his secretary.

He, however, accepted Solagberu's apology through his counsel, Kehinde Eleja (SAN), and discharged him accordingly.

Justice Yusuf adjourned the case till Tuesday, June 13, 2021 for further hearing.