Osun Court Sentenced Two to die by hanging for killing corps member
An Osun State High Court in Ile-Ife, Osun State, on Tuesday, sentenced three men to death by hanging for their involvement in the murder of a corps member, Mukaila Adebayo, during a robbery operation in Osogbo, the state capital.
The defendants, Jelili Kareem, a herbs seller; Oludayo Oludele, a commercial motorcyclist; and Muyiwa Awodeji, an electrician, were accused of conspiring to rob Corps Member Adebayo on January 28, 2020, in Omo West Area of Osogbo.
They allegedly took his mobile phone, recharge cards, and other valuables before killing him.
The court found that the defendants had committed offenses contrary to and punishable under Sections 316, 319, and 324 of the Criminal Code Law. Cap.34, Vol. 2. Laws of Osun State, 2002.
The defendants had initially pleaded not guilty to all the counts pressed against them when they first appeared in court on October 8, 2020.
A fourth defendant, Buliaminu Anifowose, a vulcaniser, was also arraigned alongside them for allegedly buying recharge cards stolen from Adebayo after he was shot dead.
During the trial, the prosecutor from the Ministry of Justice, Muyiwa Ogunleye, presented evidence from Adebayo’s 10-year-old daughter, the pathologist who performed an autopsy on the deceased, the Investigative Police Officer who investigated the matter, and Adebayo’s sibling. Ogunleye argued that the prosecution had proved its case beyond doubt and urged the court to apply the full weight of the law against the defendants.
However, counsel from the Legal Aid Council, Folashade Ipede and Suleiman Akano, and Shina Olaniyan, who represented the defendants, claimed that the prosecution failed to prove its case against their clients.
In his judgment, Justice Adedapo Adeniji found that the prosecution had proved that the defendants committed the crime and subsequently convicted Kareem, Oludele, and Awodeji for murder and armed robbery.
He sentenced them to death by hanging but discharged Anifowose.
