Arowolo: Murdered Banker Was Stabbed 76 Times - Pathologist

RENOWNED Lagos pathologist, Professor John Oladapo Obafunwa, on Monday, while testifying as a prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of a youth pastor, Akolade Arowolo who was alleged to have murdered his wife, former member of staff of Skye Bank, Titilayo Omozoje, stated that during the autopsy, he discovered that the late banker had a minimum of 76 stab wounds that were inflicted on her by someone else.

Professor Obafunwa, who was being led in evidence by Mrs Olabisi Ogungbesan, the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution before Justice Lateefa Okunnu of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, testified that there was a concentration of stab wounds from her chest to her abdomen on the left side.

According to the pathologist, he conducted both external and internal examinations of the deceased’s body during autopsy, adding that he noticed multiple stab wounds and some incised wounds involving her chest, arm and abdomen.

He further revealed that during his internal examination of the body, he found various wounds consistent with wounds from sharp weapon with a single edge blade as well as a double edge blade.

The wounds, he stated, affected the left eye, right eye, upper chest area, right chest and the collar bone left armpit also included a 10 x 5cm rectangular area that has multiple individual injuries on the left side of her chest and bosom overlying the heart.

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Professor Obafunwa, who supported his testimony with slides of pictures on a Compact Disc stated that the autopsy revealed a gaping wound which was revealed as a black hole in the chest region.

According to him, the chest wall was lost due to multiple stab wounds, there was a damage to the diaphragm, left side of the liver, bosom area and repeated stab wounds to the lungs and injuries.

The professor revealed further that his forensic investigations revealed that the injuries could not have been self inflicted as the penetration was from the chest to the back and there were stab wounds to the stomach wall.

The final result of the autopsy, according to him, is that the death was caused by multiple injuries in the chest and abdomen due to multiple sharp and long force trauma.

He also identified an alleged weapon which he confirmed was consistent with some of the wounds on the deceased’s body.

Speaking on his examination of the deceased’s husband, Professor Obafunwa stated that there were wounds on his hand and abdomen and he also had a limping gait which he admitted may be because he jumped to the ground from the fourth floor.

He, however, added that the 12 injuries he examined were not penetrating but superficial and two of them might fall into the category of defence wounds, though not all the injuries fall into the time frame the incident was said to have occurred as they might have been on the body earlier.

In reply to Olanrewaju Ajanaku, the defence counsel’s allegation that the pathologist was the one that inflicted the stab wounds on the deceased when the corpse was in his custody, he asked how he could do that when he was not insane.

The case was adjourned till October 22 for further hearing and the prosecution is expected to take its last witness.