A State High Court sitting in Ile-Ife, Osun State, condemned three men to death by hanging on Tuesday for killing a corps member, Mukaila Adebayo, during a robbery in Osogbo, the state capital
The defendants in the case are Jelili Kareem, a herbal vendor; Oludayo Oludele, a commercial biker; and Muyiwa Awodeji, an electrician.
On January 28, 2020, three men allegedly planned in the Omo West Area of Osogbo to rob Adebayo, who was performing a one-year required duty for graduates at the time, of his mobile phone, recharge cards, and other belongings before killing him.
The acts committed were said to be in violation of and punishable under Sections 316, 319, and 324 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap. 34, Vol. 2, Laws of State, 2002.
The defendants first appeared in court on October 8, 2020, to face charges of conspiracy, armed robbery, and murder. They pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Buliaminu Anifowose, a vulcanizer, was also charged with the three guys. He allegedly purchased recharge cards stolen from Adebayo after he was shot dead.
Mr. Muyiwa Ogunleye, the prosecutor from the Ministry of Justice, stated in court during the trial that the deceased’s daughter was present when Adebayo was shot and killed by the defendants.
Ogunleye, who called Adebayo’s 10-year-old daughter, the pathologist who did an autopsy on the deceased, the Investigative Police Officer who investigated the case, and the late Adebayo’s sibling, said the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
He encouraged the court to use the full weight of the law against the accused.
The Legal Aid Council’s counsel, Folashade Ipede Suleiman Akano and Shina Olaniyan, who represented the defendants, maintained that the prosecution failed to prove its case against them.
Justice Adedapo Adeniji ruled that the prosecution had shown that the defendants committed the crime, and three of them were convicted of murder and armed robbery.
Adeniji then sentenced Kareem, Oludele, and Awodeji to death by hanging, but released Anifowose.
