Suspects Of Cynthia Osokogwu’s Murder Plead Guilty

The trial has started in the case of  Cynthia Osokogwu…the Nasarrawa State University postgraduate student who was allegedly lured to Lagos and killed by men she became friends with on Facebook.
The late Cynthia died after she was allegedly poisoned, raped and strangulated to death by two of the men, Okwumo Nwabufo and Ezike Olisaeloka.
All four suspects involved in the murder of  Cynthia have pleaded guilty to the six-count charge brought against them.

All moves by the defence team to stall the trial were frustrated by presiding justice Olabisi Akinlade of the Lagos high court, Ikeja, who promptly took the testimony of the first prosecution witness after the arraignment of the four suspects in the case.

In her testimony, the first prosecution witness, Mrs Ifeanyiwa Njewu, a biochemistry graduate of the Federal University of Technology Minna, Niger state, testified that at the time of the incident, on the 22nd of July, 2012, she worked as the receptionist of the Cosmilla Suites & Hotel at Lakeview phase 1 estate, Lagos, where the late Cynthia was killed.
Mrs. Njewu identified the 2nd and 4th defendants as being present at the hotel on the day of the incident. Please read her heart-rending narration:
After her shift was over, she briefed her colleague who took over to check out the couple the next morning since that was when they said they were leaving. When Njewu resumed duty the next day, she was briefed that the couple had left but that a brother of the man had taken over the room since the payment made on the room will not expire until 12pm.
She told the court that the new occupant of the room… whom she identified as the first defendant, Okwumo told her through intercom that he would be staying behind but needed to get cash from the ATM machine to pay for the day. Okwumo came down and met the second defendant, Ezike who was waiting for him at the reception.
She said Okwumo who left the hotel in company of the Ezike never returned but called the hotel later to say that Cynthia who was in room C1 should be removed from the hotel.
“He said he will return by 12pm. I waited until around 3pm, when someone called the intercom phone and identified himself as the occupant of room C1 and that he is not going to come back and that we should remove the ‘idiot from the room’.
Immediately I called our manager and explained what had happened. He told me that if Okwumo doesn’t come back, the girl should pay for the room. He told me to call the room through the company’s intercom phone. I called several times but there was no response.
The manager Mr Victor went upstairs and said he knocked at the door and there was no response. So he told me to take the master key since I am a lady like her, that I should go and open the door. I went up stairs to the room and knocked severally and there was no response.So I used the master key to open the door. Immediately I opened the door, I saw deceased Cynthia naked on the bed. I was shocked and I shouted Jesus.”
She added that she rushed down to tell the manager who later invited police. The two suspects were identified by the police through a replay of the CCTV recording mounted in the hotel.
The court, however, granted bail to the 3rd and 4th defendants in the case, while the 1st and 2nd who allegedly committed the offence of murder are still remanded at the Kirikiri prison in Lagos.
The trial will continue on the 22nd of February, 2013.