Miss Vivian Amuneke, a receptionist at Cosmilla Hotel, Festac Town, Lagos, where Cynthia Osokogu was murdered, on Friday confessed that she lied to the police after the corpse was discovered.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Amuneke made the confession while testifying before a Lagos High Court in Ikeja at the resumed trial of four men allegedly involved in the murder.
The defendants; Okwumo Nwabufo (33), Olisaeloka Ezike (23), Orji Osita (33) and Ezike Nonso (25) were arraigned before Justice Olabisi Akinlade on February 8.
They were charged by the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on six counts bordering on conspiracy, murder, stealing, reckless negligence and possession of stolen goods.
The prosecution alleged that 25-year-old Osokogu was murdered at the hotel on July 22 last year by Nwabufo and Ezike, whom she had met through a social networking site, Facebook.
Osita, the third defendant, was charged for negligently selling the Rohypnol Flunitrazepan tablets which was allegedly used to drug the deceased.
Nonso, the man who allegedly bought Osokogu’s stolen Blackberry Bold 5, was charged for being in possession of a stolen phone.
However, testifying on Friday, Amuneke told the court that she booked Room 1C, where Osokogu was killed to Nwabufo and Ezike, with a “used” receipt.
The 28-year-old witness who was led in evidence by Lagos State Attorney General, Mr. Ade Ipaye, said she lied twice in her statements to the police in order to conceal her fraudulent act.
She explained that the room was earlier booked by a couple who had checked-out early but she resold it to the defendants instead of declaring it vacant to the hotel management.
Amuneke said:”The money paid by the second defendant (Ezike) who gave his name to me as John, was shared by me and the porter, Oscar.
“Since the room has already been paid for by the couple who left, I issued a used receipt to the second defendant.”
“I later lied to the police that I gave them the room because Nwabufo had told me that he was related to the couple that had checked-out.
“I told them this because I was scared but the truth is that I resold the room and failed to remit the money to the hotel’s account.”
She further told the court that Nwabufo later went upstairs to the room accompanied by a female guest, who was tall and slim, at about 10 pm.
“I did not really see her face because she was busy pinging with her phone but I know that she was tall and slim”, the witness said.
Amuneke said she was relieved the next morning by her colleague, Mrs. Ifeanyinwa Njegbu and she went home.
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