Tears As Court Adjourns Trial Of Ritualists

It was all tears on Tuesday in Asaba, Delta state from relations of the slain Elozino Ogege when the trial of the suspected killers of their daughter was adjourned by the Asaba High Court till October 21,2020.

Apart from the Ogege’s relations who were seen weeping openly, sympathisers, who thronged the court for the proceedings, could also not hold back tears as they wept profusely at the court premises, gnashing their teeth as they rained curses on the suspects.

Recall that Elozino Ogege, a 300-Level mass communication student of the Delta State University (DELSU) was, few months ago, allegedly murdered by suspected ritualists.

However, the suspects, who had been standing trial for months now, have pleaded not guilty while the trial was adjourned following the inability of the defence counsel to file his final written address on the trial within trial within the timeframe stipulated by the court. However, at the resumption of proceedings for adoption of the final written address for the trial within trial, counsel to the third defendant, Barr Ben Okoh, made an oral application for the extension of time to regularise the filing of his written address as his initial filing was done out of time.

According to Okoh “My Lord, today was supposed to be for the adoption of final written address for trial within trial, but (sic) I am appealing for the extension of time to regularise the filing of my client’s final written address because we filed out time before now.”

The presiding judge, Justice F. N. Azinge was visibly angry, and scolded the counsel for filing the written address out of time.

Justice Azinge further warned that she would no longer entertain such application from the defence counsel, disclosing that she was granting the application to enable the defence counsel regularise the filing by or before the adjourned date, October 21, 2020.

In a mild drama, Elozino’s sympathisers resorted to curses on the suspects with their Bibles positioned to the sky in anger, inviting God to pass judgement over the suspected killers of the girl who they described as intelligent and humble but was, unfortunately, cut to size by the evil doers in their quest for wealth.