Kennedy Taomwabwa Dede: Court delays sitting, expected to begin trial next week

The murder trial against five Turkish students who kidnapped and killed Nigerian student, Kennedy Taomwabwa Dede in January has been suspended for another week at the request of the lawyers defending the accused persons.

Kennedy Taomwabwa Dede, 28, an Architecture student at the Eastern Mediterranean University, EMU, in Famagusta was kidnapped by 7 people on Monday, January, 29 and then taken to the Çanakkale lake where he was seriously beaten, killed and abandoned.

Following his murder, seven suspects namely; Ozan Korkurt, 18, Zekeriya Kurucu, 22, Burcu Çelik, 16, Onur Körkurt, 21, Simge Dağdur, 17, Aydan Sel and Nidai Şanlı, 28 were arrested and arraigned before a Famagusta court on charges of murder, human abduction and serious assault.

Investigation by police revealed that he was killed by the gang over 1000 Turkish Lira debt.

Two of the suspects were released on bail while the other five were sent to prison for a period of three months in March until June 8.

The suspects were brought to court again on Friday with an expectation that their trial could begin but the court again suspended the it for another week on the request of the lawyers representing the accused and will now be expected to begin on June 29.