Appearing before Magistrate Linda Balogun on Tuesday, the defendants faced two counts related to the murder of Segun Zusu. According to court proceedings, Tovohome and Zannu, along with a boat driver, conspired to kill Zusu while he was transporting goods from Seme. The motive behind the gruesome act was said to be the theft of the 36 bags of rice.

The court heard that the defendants intercepted the boat at Novo River in Seme around 2 am, used a plank to assault Zusu, and ultimately threw him into the river. Subsequently, they transported the stolen bags of rice to Badagry, where they sold them for approximately N1.4 million to a businesswoman. The ill-gotten gains were then divided among the perpetrators.

The charges filed against Tovohome and Zannu stated, “That you, Noah Tovohome, 27, Rajay Zannu, 38, and others at large, on November 12, 2023, around 2 am, at Novo River, Seme, Lagos State, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did unlawfully kill one 26-year-old Segun Zusu, by hitting a plank on his head and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 222 and punishable under Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.”

The defendants did not enter pleas during the court proceedings. The prosecuting counsel, Okeh, requested the court to remand them in a correctional centre pending legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions. Magistrate Balogun granted the request, ordering the defendants to be remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre until the DPP's legal advice is received.

The case has been adjourned until January 22, 2024, awaiting further guidance from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions. The shocking and tragic nature of the allegations underscores the importance of a thorough and just legal process in addressing such heinous crimes.