Why Lagos High Court adjourned case involving Danish man who allegedly killed his singer wife till March 25

The need to conduct a thorough investigation into the alleged murder of Nigerian singer Zainab Ali-Nielsen, better known in music circles as Alizee, by her Danish husband, Peter Nielsen has forced a High Court sitting in Igbosere, Lagos to adjourn the case till March 25, 2019.

During the court hearing which came up on the 20th of this month, Justice Bolanle Okikiolu-Ighile pushed the court hearing to the aforementioned date after the defence counsel to Mr. Nielsen raised concerns over the investigation conducted by Nigerian Police on the case.

Mr. Nielsen’s counsel, led by Mr. Olasupo Shasore (SAN), a former Attorney General of Lagos State, was able to establish during court proceedings that the Nigeria Police did not carry out a thorough investigation into the case.

Recall during the last hearing, that police inspector, Babashola Afolayan, told the court that after his findings into the matter, he came to conclusion that Nielsen is the principal suspect in the murder case.

However, Mr. Shasore (counsel to Mr. Nielsen) was able to bring to the court’s notice that inspector Afolayan had not -reviewed the CCTV footage from the apartment building; checked the telephones of occupants of the apartment; inspected all the rooms in the apartment or even spoken with the neighbours around the apartment before he came to a conclusion that the defendant was the only suspect.

Mr. Shasore also challenged Inspector Babashola Afolayan of Ikoyi division and Assistant Superintendent (ASP) Gafar Oderinde (both of whom were witnesses in the case) about diligent investigation, especially when the widely-followed case showcases Nigeria’s justice system to the eyes of the world.

Mr. Nielsen’s counsel further stressed the need for diligent investigation into the matter as the role of the police is vital, otherwise there could be a miscarriage of justice.

Read also: Lagos set to prosecute Danish man who killed his singer wife, 3-yr-old daughter

The lead counsel for Mr. Nielsen later asked the investigator “if he agreed that the case depends on investigation and that a good investigation would lead to justice and a bad investigation would lead to injustice in this case?”, a question which the Inspector answered in the affirmative.

After listening to the lead counsel, Justice Okikiolu-Ighile adjourned the case to the month of March for further hearing.

Recall also, that the details of the post-mortem examination conducted on Nielsen’s wife which was made known at a press briefing by the former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, revealed that the musician died of trauma.

Edgal said the trauma suffered by the entertainer emanated from the injuries allegedly inflicted on her head by Mr. Nielsen.

Revealing more, Edgal said the autopsy on Zainab’s corpse and forensic report gathered from the scene of crime had shown more revelations.

The CP said, “The autopsy report revealed that Mrs. Zainab Nielsen suffered trauma as a result of the impact on her head.

“Secondly, the forensic experts revealed that there were bloodstains from the couple’s bedroom to the kitchen.

“Even though they were cleverly wiped from the floor, they were still able to detect the stains with the application of special chemical reagents.

“In addition, bloodstains were also discovered on the wash hand basins and on the hand towel the suspect used in wiping his hands after the commission of the offence.”

By Ahmed Boulor…

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