Lowo Oyediran: Alleged Ibadan killer wife referred for psychiatric treatment—Defence witness

A medical doctor, Dr Safiu Kamorudeen Isola, who is the fourth defence witness in the on-going trial of 28-year-old Yewande Oyediran (nee Fatoki), a lawyer with the Oyo State Ministry of Justice, who is standing trial for allegedly causing the unlawful death of Lowo Oyediran, her 38 years old husband, stated that his assessment of Yewande on the morning of the incident revealed selective mutism leading to her being given a referral to the University College Hospital.

Dr Isola, a medical practitioner with Banby Hospital made this known while testifying before Justice Munta Abimbola of the Oyo State High Court 1, sitting in Ring road, Ibadan on Wednesday, adding during examination of her central nervous system, she was conscious but orientation couldn’t be determined because Yewande didn’t respond to questions.

The medical practitioner who was being led in evidence by the lead defense counsel, Leye Adepoju informed the court that Yewande did not respond to questioning, command or instructions while he was examining her so he had to proceed to general physical examination to determine her physical condition.

“She was neatly dressed, had no abnormal posturing on the examination couch and there was no bleeding from body orifices but there was a bumpish swelling on the left side of her forehead. She wasn’t pale, cyanosed and was well hydrated. There was no leg or hand swelling though there were scratches on her chest,” Dr Isola stated.

He added in his testimony that her musculous skeletal examination revealed an obvious swelling of the right elbow but further examination was difficult as she was groaning to every touch whether light or deep.

During cross examination by the Private Prosecutor Sanyaolu Akinyele, the doctor stated that he was not the one on duty when Yewande and Lowo was brought in the early hours of the morning, adding that the doctor on night shift, Dr Ajao Olubunmi was the one that attended to them. He also confirmed that Yewande was there when the police informed him that she stabbed her husband to death.

Earlier, a principal state counsel with the Ministry of Justice, Adewumi Stella Oyeniran, who said she had been friends with Yewande for 25 years and had been her colleague for 10 years in her testimony before the court stated that Yewande didn’t know of her husband’s death until she got to the Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police at the state CID office.

In her testimony, she told the court that on February 2, 2016, she got a call from a friend and colleague, Sandra Tella, who told her that Yewande’s dad called that she should come to Banby Hospital without telling her what was wrong and she agreed to meet up with her at the hospital, adding that when she got there, the nurses said Yewande was in the ward and she couldn’t see her then.

According to her, Sandra later came out of the ward to tell her that Yewande and Lowo had a fight and that Lowo was dead and Yewande was unconscious after which they went to meet Yewande’s dad at Akobo Police station to meet Yewande’s dad and met the landlord, Chief Akinpelu Adelodun making his statement

She explained that after that they went to pick Yewande in her uncle’s car to the police station, adding that though the hospital was beside the clinic, Yewande was in extreme pain and couldn’t walk on her own.

“She was oblivious of her environment and the IPO said he had to take her pictures in order to get a clear picture of the wounds she sustained and we told her to go ahead. They called a photographer who took her pictures and I also took some with my phone which I printed and did a certificate in line with Section 84 of the Evidence Act,” she said.

The witness further said that she was aware that there was domestic violence in the wedding as Yewande used to tell her that Lowo beats her though during cross examination, she said Yewande was not in a coma but only unconscious of her environment.

It will be recalled that Dr Ajao Olubunmi, who was said to be on night duty had earlier appeared as a prosecution witness and had stated that Yewande had no obvious injuries when he saw her.

The case was adjourned till April 12, 2017 for further hearing