A Former world wrestling champion, John Eke Uti, aka Power Uti has has been charged to court for murder.
Uti was charged before an Ebute-Metta Chief Magistrate’s Court, Lagos by the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) on two counts charge of murder on Tuesday.
He was was accused of beating his wife Toyin to death and abandoning her dead body at their residence 17 Oremeji Street, Ilupeju, Lagos on October 10.
Count one reads: “That you John Eke Uti, on the 10th day of October, 2017, at about 10.25 am, at 17, Oremeji Street, Ilupeju, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did unlawfully kill one Toyin Uti, aged 38, by beating her to death and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 222 and punishable under section 223 Cap C17, Vol. 3 of the criminal laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.”
The second reads: “That you John Eke Uti, date, time and place, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did disrespect the corpse of one Toyin Uti, aged 38, by abandoning the corpse in a room to decompose and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 165(a) Cap C17, Vol. 3 of the criminal laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.”
After going through the case file, Magistrate Folarin-Williams said she did not see anything both in the accused’s statement and in the police investigations to show that the accused killed his wife and quashed the remand application brought by the police.
She, therefore, admitted the accused to a bail of N500,000 with two responsible sureties in like sum, who must be blood relations and also work with reputable organisations.
She directed that the case file should be duplicated and a copy forwarded to the State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPPs) for legal advice.
Earlier, Sgt. Jimah Iseghede, the prosecutor, had told the court that the accused committed the offences on Oct. 10 about 10.25 p.m. at No. 17, Oremeji St., Ilupeju, Lagos.
He alleged that the accused beat his wife, Toyin, 38, to death and abandoned the corpse in a room to decompose.
It was reported that John Eke Uti, a former world wrestling champion, was first taken to Ilupeju Police Station before being transferred to the State Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Department (SCIID) for further investigation.
