My son did not kill his wife – Arowolo Snr

…Says only 3 wounds were inflicted on deceased banker

BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH, ONOZURE DANIA & MICHAEL. OLADEPO

LAGOS — Akolade Arowolo, the man accused of killing his banker wife, Titilayo Omozoje yesterday opened his defence with his witness,  Mudashiru Aroon telling an Ikeja High Court that the deceased only had three wounds on her body.

The disclosure by the witness before Justice Lateefa Okunnu, contradicted the evidence given by Prof. John Obafunwa, Chief Pathologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital who testified that the deceased had 76 stab wounds on her body on examination.

Akolade was arraigned on one count charge of murder at their home at Isolo on June 24, 2011.
The witness who was said to be the father of the defendant, told the court that he was shocked  to read in the newspaper that the deceased had 76 stab wounds on her body.

Under cross examination by the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution, Mrs. Olabisi Ogungbesan, the witness maintained that he only saw three wounds on the left part of her (Titilayo’s)chest.

When told that a prosecution witnesses claimed seeing  many wounds on the body of the deceased, he insisted that he only saw three wounds on the left part of her chest.

He, however, admitted that he said in one of his statements that he did ask  why his son could have killed his daughter-in-law.

Under re-examination by his lawyer,  Olanrewaju Ajanaku, he said that the statement was a mere response to the question of the IPO who asked how the defendant could have killed his wife.

He had testified earlier  that Arowolo had wou- nds on his palm, a confirmation that he was trying to wrest a knife from his wife. He said that he discovered some 20 wounds on the body of his son.

The witness confessed that the couple had been having quarrels, but that Akolade was never violent.