On Thursday, Justice Oyindamola Ogala of the Ikeja High Court in Lagos set July 7 for judgment in the trial of a couple, Fortune and Stephen Nwankwo, accused of murdering their housemaid, Joy Adole.
The defendants are charged with four counts of conspiracy, involuntary manslaughter, and murder accessory after the fact.
The couple is accused of murdering their 19-year-old maid on April 20, 2020, at their residence on Ogundola Street in the state’s Bariga area.
Following their non-guilty plea, the Directorate of Public Prosecutions began trial with eight witnesses to prove the couple’s case.
On January 17, 2022, the couple testified in court that the day before the incident, Joy was caught with noodles and beaten because she was fond of stealing foodstuffs at home.
Fortune stated that following the incident, she spoke with Joy and later apologized and promised not to steal again.
She said, “On the following day while in the kitchen, I called out to Joy, but no response. So, I went into her room and saw her hanging on the ceiling. I screamed and called my husband and told him in our dialect that our housemaid had killed herself; he also screamed.
“I called one of our neighbours to come to see what happened and after then, my husband put a call to his father and he later went to the police station to report the incident. I was also asked to report at the station and give statements. The police detained me and while in detention, my DNA, thumbprint, and blood sample were taken and I was later remanded in Kirikiri prison.”
Both the prosecutor and the defense team adopted their final written addresses during the court proceedings.
The case was adjourned until July 7, 2022, by Justice Ogala.
