Afrigather 
Omolara Ogundiran, a sister and witness of a kind of arrested over the bloody theft incident in Offa, Kwara state, has been arrested by the police in courtroom.
The graduate of Ire Polytechnic, who’s the youthful sister of the fifth defendant, Niyi Ogundiran, was taken away round 3:40 pm by operatives of the state police command instantly after the trial that began at 9:00 am.
On the resumed trial of Ayoade Akinnibosun, Azeez Salahudeen, Niyi Ogundiran, Ibikunle Ogunleye and Adeola Abraham on Friday, February 2, over the theft incident in 2018, Omolara Ogundiran was referred to as in as a witness by the defence counsel, Mathias Emeribe, who tendered a receipt which she stated was issued by a spare components vendor in Osogbo, Osun state to her brother.
Testifying in courtroom, she stated;
“I went to Osogbo to gather a receipt for some motor spare components of the automobile purchased by Niyi on the day of the theft. Once I obtained to Mallam Ali’s store (motor spare components vendor), I met him attending to a buyer and he stated I ought to sit down and pray for one to not be unlucky in any state of affairs.
“So he opened the receipt and noticed the duplicate earlier than he issued one other one to me and I left. I noticed Mallam Ali contained in the courtroom premises in the present day and he greeted me. However I can’t see him contained in the courtroom now”.
Throughout cross-examination, she stated;
“I’m a non secular Christian and attended major faculty in Ise Ekiti. I additionally went to secondary faculty in Oro however don’t bear in mind the title earlier than I proceeded to Ire Poly for my OHD.
“I can’t bear in mind the day or month, however it was final yr 2023 that I went to Osogbo for the receipt. Mallam Ali wrote the receipt in my presence earlier than he gave it to me and wrote the date that my brother got here to purchase the objects (backdated it to April 5, 2018).
“Once I got here again to Ilorin, the receipt was with me and I solely gave it to my lawyer after they had been speaking about it. I used to be in courtroom when my brother was giving proof on the case. Niyi and I are siblings however it’s God that can battle for him not me”
Niyi Ogundiran had additionally advised the courtroom that he was by no means in Offa city on the day of the theft incident however travelled to Osogbo to buy spare components for the second defendant’s automobile.
After listening to arguments by each the defence and prosecution counsels on the admissibility of a 10-paragraph affidavit introduced by the defence counsel on the receipt, the presiding decide, Justice Halimat Salman rejected the admissibility of the receipt as proof, describing it as a sham.
Justice Salman stated the defendant can’t search to tender any proof by the backdoor whereas that they had all the chance to take action at numerous phases of the trial which began about six years in the past.
She stated;
“So that you can now bear in mind after about six years to current receipt speaks volumes. It looks as if one wanting again whereas dealing with entrance. The courtroom doesn’t function by utility however by regulation. The receipt is just not sufficient. It’s a sham. I received’t say greater than that. The signature within the affidavit can also be completely different from the one on the receipt. It lacked benefit”
The decide later adjourned the case to Tuesday, April 9, 2024, for the adoption of written addresses by the counsels.
