The Lagos State Government, on Wednesday, arraigned two cousins, Olamilekan Adegoke and Akande Adeyinka, for allegedly killing the wife of the Managing Director of Maersk Nigeria Limited, Bernadette Tohouo.
The defendants were arraigned before Justice Modupe Nicole-Clay of the Lagos State High Court in Igbosere on eight counts bordering on conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, unlawful assault, robbery, armed robbery and rape.
PUNCH Metro had reported that the defendants, on December 8, 2019, attacked the Managing Director of Maersk Nigeria, Gildas Tohouo, and stabbed his wife, Bernadette, to death at their residence on No. 1 Luggard Avenue, Ikoyi.
The defendants also reportedly stabbed Gildas and forced him to drink a substance suspected to be acid.
The couple had organised a party in their house on the day of the incident and many guests were gathered in the compound to felicitate with them.
Adegoke, who is an electrician working with the estate, was granted access to the party and reportedly used his familiarity with the residents to smuggle in his cousin, Adeyinka.
After the party ended around 11.30pm and the guests had departed for their various homes, Adegoke and Adeyinka were said to have lurked around the couple’s apartment and when there was power outage in the building, the defendants allegedly offered to assist the couple to restore power.
The couple, who recognised one of them as an electrician in the estate, opened the door for them to gain entry into the main building and the defendants allegedly attacked the couple with knives.
At Wednesday’s proceedings, the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), told the court that Adegoke had unlawful sexual intercourse with the deceased before she was killed.
He said, “The defendants unlawfully killed Bernadette by suffocating her with a small pillow and attempted to unlawfully kill Gildas by stabbing him several times in the neck, head and back with a knife and dagger.
“The defendants unlawfully assaulted and caused him harm by beating him with a hammer on his head and while armed with a knife and dagger, robbed the couple of several property, including foreign currencies in different denominations, two iPhones, two bottles of wine, two wedding rings and one engagement ring.”
Onigbanjo told the court that the offences were contrary to and punishable under sections 233, 230, 173, 299, 297 (2) (a) 411, of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2015.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Justice Nicole-Clay adjourned the case till June 30, 2020, for trial and ordered that the defendants be remanded in the Ikoyi Correctional Centre.