| I guess by now we all have read about the verdict by Justice Lateefat Okunnu of the Ikeja High Court, on Friday, which convicted Akolade Arowolo who murdered his wife, Titilayo, at their Isolo residence in 2011. |
In sentencing Mr. Arowolo to death, the judge said that the prosecution proved their case beyond reasonable doubt and established that the defendant was responsible for his wife’s death.
Mrs. Okunnu said that she reached her verdict by relying on the evidences of the pathologist who conducted a post-mortem examination on the deceased’s corpse, the parents of the convict who were “not witnesses of truth”, and the contradictory statements of the convict.
She also relied on the “Doctrine of the Last Scene” which stipulates that the last person at a crime scene bears full responsibility for the deceased.
“It serves to buttress the finding that the defendant and no one else is the culprit,” Mrs. Okunnu added.As the judge pronounced her sentence, Mr. Arowolo fell in the dock and burst into tears, screaming “who would take care of my little daughter?”
The trial of Mr. Arowolo, 32, began in 2011 after the prosecution accused him of stabbing to death his wife, a banker, on June 24, 2011 at their residence at 8, Akindeinde St., Isolo, Lagos.
The defendant, however, had insisted that his wife inflicted the grievous body harm on herself.
When he walked into the courtroom at 9.32 a.m., Mr. Arowolo, sporting a crisp white shirt on black pants, marched straight to a vacant seat, knelt before it and delved into a brief prayer session.
Then he sat down and opened a bible he was clutching.
When the judge began to
read her judgment 20 minutes later, Mr. Arowolo, seated in the dock with his face in his hands, periodically shook his head.
At the end of the three hour judgment, after the judge’s death sentence, he screamed “Jesus, my Lord,” launched into a worship song, followed by a blurt of incoherent speech.Prosecution’s witnesses
Friday’s judgment lasted three hours as the judge traced the origin of the trial, the evidences of all the witnesses, as well as scores of crime exhibits.
15 prosecution witnesses appeared during the trial, including the deceased person’s father, sisters, and step mother. The couple’s neighbour, security guard, and landlord also testified for the prosecution.
In his testimony at the beginning of the trial three years ago, George Oyakhire, the deceased’s father stated that Titilayo sounded “panicky on the phone” when he spoke with her on the morning of the incident.He said he subsequently reached out to his daughters to call her and find out the problem.
Mr. Oyakhire also said that his daughter did not always live with her husband because he always beat her – one day he had threatened to throw her down from the top floor of their one storey apartment.
“His (Akolade) father even warned that he is capable of such evil,” Mr. Oyakhire added.
“When I told Titilayo to report her husband to a police station, she said ‘God will take control and touch his heart.”
The prosecution witnesses who forced the door of the couple’s apartment open, the day after the incident and afterrepeated calls to both of them were unsuccessful, said that Titilayo’s lifeless, bloodied body was found on the bed with the bedroom turned upside down.
“There was a knife on the floor, a gaping hole on her chest, a hammer on the floor. One of her eyes was gorged out. When I saw it, I thought there was nothing in the socket,” Bisi, the deceased’s stepmother, had said during her testimony.
“Something that looked like a lump of flesh that must have been chopped off from the deceased was lying on the floor,” she added.
Police witnesses also narrated details of the bloodied crime scene and how the corpse was taken to the hospital.
But it was the “expert” witness of John Obafunwa, a Forensic Pathologist and Chief Medical Examiner at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, that provided ample evidence that the prosecution used to nail Mr. Arowolo.
The judge, while reading out her judgment on Friday, described Mr. Obafunwa’s evidence as “completely professional,” noting that he was “objective, formal, and impassioned.”
After he conducted a five and a half hour post mortem examination on the corpse on July 6, 2011, Mr. Obafunwa said, during his testimony, that he discovered at least 76 stab wounds resulting from the use of “tremendous force” on the chest, heart, lungs, liver, diaphragm, hands, and other parts of the deceased’s body.
“You can actually see through to the inside of the chest wall which had collapsed. A particular stab went through the rib cavity to the heart, the stomach was completely torn open.
“All these injuries could not have been self-inflicted because at a point, you would have dropped the knife,” said Mr. Obafunwa, a professor of Forensic Pathology.
‘Contradictory’ defense
The defence produced six witnesses which included the defendant, his parents, and one Efe Alexandra, who works with a non-governmental organization that visits the prison.
Mudashiru Arowolo, the convict’s father, said that his son’s marriage to Titilayo had been characterized by undue interference by her father and stepmother.
Mudashiru accused the deceased’s stepmother of attempting to take away the placenta of the couple’s new baby as well as introducing fetish things into their home.
He also accused the stepmother of assisting the deceased to “abort a baby and tie her womb as a form of family planning” without informing his son.
He further said that his son had been a youth pastor at the Foursquare Gospel Church in Festac Town before they moved to Isolo and he started attending The Redeemed Church at Gbagada.
He also denied claims that his son was suspended by the church for womanizing and wife-snatching.
“The defendant (his son) had over 21 wounds and the deceased had three. I was shocked to read that she had 76 wounds. It must be the doctor’s imagination,” Mudashiru added.
During her testimony, the second defence witness, Bolanle Arowolo, had described her son as a well-behaved child who had never showed traits of violence.
In addition to describing the defendant’s parents as not being “witnesses of truth,” the judge also said they were diversionary, covering up for their son and refusing to answer deep questions during their cross examination.
The defendant’s own testimony served to tighten the noose around his neck as it was riddled with contradictions, disjointed statements, and “faux pas”, according to the judge.
In his statements to the police after he submitted himself for arrest, Mr. Arowolo had claimed that he was forced by the police to write that his wife’s stab wounds were self-inflicted.
However, while giving evidence, Mr. Arowolo did a volte face and insisted that his wife had only sustained cuts on her hands before he left her to seek for help.
“In a statement, he wrote that she persistently stabbed herself, that something went wrong either mentally or spiritually.“I have not ignored this piece of evidence that he was guided to write the statements… The statements were disjointed and contradictory during testimony.
“I note that he proferred excuses for the strange behaviour of his wife. This explanation obviously came from him and not from anyone guiding him. The defendant in the box was trying hard to renege from his earlier statements,” said the judge.
The judge also said that Mr. Arowolo’s claim that his late wife had attacked him with a knife was inconsistent with the pathologist’s revelation that the deceased received multiple stab wounds resulting to a “blunt force trauma.”
Two prison wardens dragged Mr. Arowolo out of the court room, after the judge rose, as he continued to scream and protest his innocence. JUSTICE IS SERVED!
Culled From Ladun Liadi’s and PremiumTimes
*Their only child will now become an orphan. What happens when she grows up and gets to know how her parents died? For wife beating Men, if you think you are physically strong, please go fight men with abs and muscles like you. OK?
Since when the spotlight on this case increased I have always wondered if Titi Arowolo had come to this blog for advice considering the stay and pray tonic lots of women dish out on here, check yourself, tame your razor blade mouth, wives connection will not support the break up of a marriage bla bla bla. If many women will not have Titi Arowolo's death on their conscience. Please let us be mindful of the kind of advice we give out, especially where DV is concerned. I have seen too many of such stories on this blog and the advice given out is scary. Many of these women who send in their stories are potential Titi Arowolo's of the future. Think of that before your fingers hit the keyboard. I am sure Titi must have run to many friends and family and she would have been told to stay and pray, watch your mouth, check yourself, he will change, pray, stay in your marriage. The Nigerian woman's mantra. She is dead today and I really hope their conscience won't let them rest. When DV is involved, women get out, get out, get out. We fellow women let us learn to open our arms in support and not turn women back to continue living with monsters. The stay and pray did not work here and doesn't work for thousands of women. If he doesn't kill you, he will break your spirit. This man is just an example, luckily he was convicted. Thousands of husbands are never convicted. If she got support from her immediate environment, and left, she will still be alive today. Her daughter will have a mother. A broken marriage is better than your children having to live with the horror and permanent scars of DV.
OMG u took the words right out of my mouth Anon 2:15. These were my immediate thoughts when I saw this post. People see these things& yet encourage women to remain in the same horrible & potentially deadly environments. Some will claim they remain cos of their kids. In this case, what becomes of this poor child? What favour has the late mum done to her by staying in this toxic marriage nd being killed? My mum's friend fell to her death after her husband pushed off their balcony during one of his violent episodes. She left behind a son. That man has long remarried & wont even take care of their son. All of you who keep advising women to remain in abusive marriages, I hail una o.
Aunty Eya they're calling you on bella Naija oh because of your stay and change your husband advice. It was this Titi case that made them remember you. My annoyance is how the guy was praying and prophesying to himself. He didn't think of his daughter when he was stabbing his wife to death. May God rest her soul
Ok now aunty Eya is being called out. Pls shld she as a woman advise u 2 leave ur matrimonial home knowing d kind of society we live in??? No! Pls let dis ish stop. Wen advises are given take d one dat suits u nd leave if u feel ders no God.
Madam y re u taking down comments
Violent men are dangerous to stay with. separation for a while is better if there is any changes, good! if there isn't, run for your dear life. "Koro aye san ju koro orun lo"
Violent men are dangerous to stay with. separation for a while is better if there is any changes, good! if there isn't, run for your dear life. "Koro aye san ju koro orun lo"
Anon 5:25 what society? So a womsn should die cos society? She should become a man's punching bag cos of society? Her children should grow up accepting violence as the norm cos of society? They may even be rendered motherless/orphansas in this case cos of society? Today Titi is dead & since she died as a 'mrs', it's ok by the society? U are exactly what is wrong with Africa! U are brainless. Instead of speaking out n helping those in need, u & aunty Eya would rather watch a woman suffer cos of 'society'. May ur daughters never face this predicament cos nobody will help her since ur society doesnt accept. Who is the society by the way? Isn't it composed of u and I? The society changes when we stand up to change it! Thinking of it, isn't it the same society now that is screaming to women to get out of such marriages? Don't blame any society please. Blame ur low self esteem as the reason 4 remaining in abuse. Oh & if u feek God would rather have u dead than alive, then u have no idea whoHe is. I suggest u start a real relationship with him and learn to hear from him directly rather than be a religious bigot who just attends church.
This is totally crazy. Agreed there are levels of domestic violence and sometimes the women involved spew evil from their mouth, but when it reaches a certain level and you can see the violence and hatred, to move forward and be alive is best biko!
Shame on all the home wreckers calling me out on other blogs. You think for every act of domestic violence, the man is to blame? Think again.
Watch Investigate Discovery Channel and you'll see how many women who kill their husbands. Instead of trying to see if there is anything you can do to save your marriage, the only thing you think about is putting all the blame on the men and running away without even thinking about how it affects your children. How selfish!!!
Sorry I meant Investigation Discovery Channel.
Maybe those anti marriage women haven't heard testimonies of wives who changed their conduct and began to enjoy their marriages. If I advise wives to look inward and see if there is something they can do first about verbal violence on their husbands, how is that wrong?
If after all said and done, the man refuses to change, where did I ever say "DIE THERE?"
No one, not even the Society can change God. If any marriage hater thinks she can discourage me from giving words of advice where necessary, she has failed WOEFULLY.
Home wreckers? Anti marriage women? So madam, because some would prefer a woman to be alive, u label them all the above? Really? What stops a woman from seperating from herabusive hubby and then both of them work on tthemselves? Madam Eya, step out ur bubble &u will see that most women who suffer from ddomestic violence are the most gentle. There are no marriages/relationships without miaunderstandings; does that mean a man raises his hand every time? If u expect a woman to work on her tongue which is right, why shouldn't the man work on his anger management as well? Most of them don't! U know why? Cos most African men believe it's ok to 'discipline' their wives when appropriate. That is the mentality. Now tell me, what woman is so perfect that wouldn't anger her hubby atleast once in a while? Does itmake it ok to be hit? U talk of selfishness towards the kids. Madam, as a child I prayed for my parents to separate cos I witnessed my dad beat up my mum many times. I hated watching my mother suffer! Do u know it took my mother leaving that house for my father's mind to grasp his mistakes? If she didn't take that step, he probably would still be thinking she's ok with being a punching bag.
Rest In Peace Titilayo and may no woman experience this again. God bless and preserve the Institution of Marriage.
Sorry about many short comments. This phone can't publish long comments.
U are right, some women can push a man to his limits. But Eya I ask, no matter the provocation, do u think a normal man would be so violent to the point of breaking bones, stabbing, tearing her skin, breaking items on her body? Eya isn't that a MAD MAN? How do u defend such? There is a line never to be crossed! A man who occassionally slaps his wife after being really infuriated can be worked on. A man who behaves like a beast in d name of anger should be left alone! Most of them are psychologically unstable & it won't matter if you are as quiet as a mouse, u will suffer in his hands. Step out of ur zones nd do u r research. U will see that many violent men are really animals n will react at the slightest opportunity. Some women know this & that is why they are quick to advise women to run for their lives. Please realise this nd understand their message instead of childishly calling them home wreckers etc. That is low of u. U don't know what they may have gone through or seen. That ur hubby doesn't act beastly isnt a function of ur quiet nature. It is bcos he has a sane head on his shoulders. Try being married to an animalistic man & see if u don't get beaten into a pulp For no reason. Have u heard of Melaye's soon to be exwife? Ask her.
Excuse me Eya, but after all is said and done? By then titilayos fate must have caught up with them. You think inside your little box, and speak like someone who thinks women are always at fault. Why cnt u for once, advice the man to take anger management classes or work on his anger.? You need to open ur eyes and realize that staying in an abusive marriage does not give u a crown. Abusive men are abusive regardless of a woman's tongue. You generally give good advice but this time around, you have won the epic fail of the century.
What kind of stupid advice are you giving to people. So the woman should be the one checking herself and not the violent man. Oh I see anyone that is not a slave to marriage is a home-wrecker. I feel sorry for people like you who have daughters because they could become the next Titi with the kind of garbage advice you give here. With Titi's case common sense and logic should have slapped you in the face but i see it didn't. Titi tried to save her marriage and now her child is an orphan. Was the whole staying worth it. If she had left this wouldn't have happened. A real responsible man will communicate with you when there is misunderstanding not raise his voice at you or hit you. Marriage is not a do or die. It seems like Nigerian women are slaves to marriage. If a women doesn't have the title Mrs. slapped at the beginning of her name she hasn't started living yet. Women if a man hits you once run away like usain bolt. The longer you stay you kill the self esteem of yourself and your kids. Stop making stupid lame excuses for the man unless you would be another Titi with a child orphan. Women carry yourself with pride and like a priceless jewel and not like a cheap worthless toffee candy from trader joes store. Priceless jewels get protected not beaten.
Eya i have a lot of respect for u, but plssssssss stop saying this thing u re saying dere is no excuse on the surface of the earth absolutely no excuse for a man to carry out domestic violence on his wife let alone killing her.if she provokes u why not talk to her if she doesnt listen report to those she respects like her parents or pastor.so u re advocating for men to hit or kill their wife because she provoked them haba sister
Why do we always find someone to put the blames on. Aunty Eya and others who advice you to work on your marriage/relationship rather than calling it quit without a trial, were only trying to help in their own way. You are the one in the relationship who knows the extent of the abuse, why not do what u feel is right for you rather than waiting for someone who knows little or nothing about what u r going thru… please let us all stop trading blames, what's done is done, Titi is gone (May her soul RIP) others left behind should learn from it. No mother wants to see her married daughter back at home( separated or divorced) so this is not about a blog or a person's advice, it's more than just Aunty Eya's advice, we are all concern about what or how the society will react (religion too) so put the blame on no one but on yourselves… you are the architect of ur fortune/misfortune
For a woman to stay in an abusive marriage, i no follow ooo cos d life of dat woman n her children s needed in d society. It happened 2 one of my cousin for 9 yrs of d marriage is ful of beating, chasing u out of d house cos d house belongs 2 him, when she s cooking he wil come n pour d food away, carry d foam she n d children r sleeping on burn it, carry al her cloth burn dem, steal d money she kept 2 cook 4 him n d children n coming back 2 demand 4 his food, d bags of rice he bought throw away by him, dot pay d children's school bt he s working etc pls d list s endless. By God's grace she was separated 4rm dat man n she s @ peace now n taking care of her children
@lfe… no mother may want to see her married or separated daughter home.. but if u have gone thru DV…believe me, a mother would first want to see her daughter alive first even if it means going thru a divorce to do so. am a victim so i know what am saying. if i show u pictures of my face after my ex beat me blue and black for ignoring him when he was insulting me, (he said ignoring him meant i felt he was talking trash) u wld think i need surgery.. infact i had to run out of the house in the heavy rain with my one yr old child. my mother kept checking my mouth later that day whether i lost some teeth cos i cldnt open my bloodied mouth. he never came to check on me and my son. out of what will society say and i am married for better for worse.. i went back against my family wishes. and he said he will change…after series of threats and another round of merciless beating am 5.5 with 65kg…he is 6.3 with 105kg.. i ran with my son for dear life…and no…society was not there to rescue me. am in my parents house now but with peace of mind and happy my son is not motherless. i later learnt that while i was with my ex …my parents and siblings everyday not to wake up to hear… 'o ti na pa ooooo'.
I am just glad am alive. others were not so lucky. some will just be thrown against the wall and they never survived and society was not there to save them from that cruel end.
@lfe… no mother may want to see her married or separated daughter home.. but if u have gone thru DV…believe me, a mother would first want to see her daughter alive first even if it means going thru a divorce to do so. am a victim so i know what am saying. if i show u pictures of my face after my ex beat me blue and black for ignoring him when he was insulting me, (he said ignoring him meant i felt he was talking trash) u wld think i need surgery.. infact i had to run out of the house in the heavy rain with my one yr old child. my mother kept checking my mouth later that day whether i lost some teeth cos i cldnt open my bloodied mouth. he never came to check on me and my son. out of what will society say and i am married for better for worse.. i went back against my family wishes. and he said he will change…after series of threats and another round of merciless beating am 5.5 with 65kg…he is 6.3 with 105kg.. i ran with my son for dear life…and no…society was not there to rescue me. am in my parents house now but with peace of mind and happy my son is not motherless. i later learnt that while i was with my ex …my parents and siblings everyday not to wake up to hear… 'o ti na pa ooooo'.
I am just glad am alive. others were not so lucky. some will just be thrown against the wall and they never survived and society was not there to save them from that cruel end.
Thank u for sharing ur story ma'am. God will surely give u abundant beauty for your ashes.
Those looking for who to blame. We all have our different opinion and Madam Eya never forced her advice on any poster.
I remember how she used to tell posters to read every body's comments and pick what is best for them.
Thank you Anon. I read a comment from Aunty Eya sometime ago where she stated that she is neither a professional chef nor a professional counselor. The woman tries to see how she can in her own little way make marriages better and if anyone disagrees with her advice, why not leave your own advice in the comments section.
I had times I did disagree with her and Thor shed delete my comment but she left it there. Calling her out on Bella naija is very childish and those involved are cowards else they she have revealed their identities.
Aunty Eya's advise saved my marriage last year and I sent her a thank you mail. Let's be careful the way we fight others. When she stops commenting,it's we posters that still beg for her advice. Fear God ooooooooooooooooo!
Every reader is free to comment their advise on any post so why single out Eya and insult her on your blogs? You are free to agree or disagree and is it by force. Madam Eya, you shouldn't have responded because already your disclaimer on the blog is asking every poster to go seek professional help.
You leave comments like everyone of us and have never for once said that your comment supercedes anyone else. You need rest now and not this rubbish from those trying to stress your life.
This guy is going to heaven u guys are here saying justice. He knows when he is dieing so he will ask God for forgiveness just before he dies, and God will forgive him.
the problem is what if a woman gets killed while waiting and praying for him to change? that is exactly what happened to Titilayo, she stayed hoping he would change. the thing is domestic violence can sipral out of control so quickly and that is why we advice the woman to first remove herself from danger before anything else. we dont hate marriage but a dead woman cannot be married! her daughter will soon be an orphan so staying in such a situation is actually the selfish thing to do. it is not in the interest of children to lose any of their parents or to witness abuse. most of these men are abusers because their fathers were and the mothers refused to leave so they learnt . A good mother will never leave her children in a violent environment and that is what mothers who stay with abusive husbands are doing!
Aunty Eya pls don't mind those running their mouths. You might not be a marriage counselor but your advise saved my ailing marriage. Your recipes changed my dining table for the better.
I can never forget you, Johnson, Mama Ijebu and Deborah Bala.