The trial of Jeffery Okafor, the 23 year old Nigerian arrested in Asaba in September for the murder of a teenage university student has commenced in London Friday.
Okafor was extradited to London and handed over to prosecutors in the case on Thursday(read here), November 6, icirnigeri.org can authoritatively report.
An officer of the Homicide and Major Crime Command of the British Police, who does not want to be named, confirmed to Premium Times reporter on Friday morning that Okafor was charged before a Croydon Magistrate Court for murder early Friday.
According to the source, since the magistrate court does not have the competence to try a murder case, the matter is expected to be transferred to a higher court in the following days. The higher court will determine when Okafor’s trial will start and whether he should be held in custody until his trial proper commences.
Okafor who is being tried for the murder in August 2009 of Carl Beatson Asiedu, a 19 year old disk jockey, fled London in August 2009 using his junior brother’s passport. The brother, Junior Okafor, was prosecuted and sentenced to four years’ imprisonment on August 12, 2012 for aiding the fugitive’s escape.
Their mum, Lynn Kanebi, was also prosecuted on the same charge but was found not guilty and acquitted.
Source: Premium Times
