Aderiye’s murder: Kayode Ojo congratulates freed accused person, hails the judiciary

The leading governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State, Engr. Kayode Ojo has congratulated the freed accused persons in the murder of former State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Ekiti State, Chief Omolafe Aderiye.

Engr. Ojo also eulogized the judiciary for dispensing justice with neutrality in the matter without fair or favour.

This was contained in a statement signed by his Director of Media and Publicity, Deji Aiyelabowo and made available to journalists on Monday after the judgement delivered by an Ado Ekiti High Court discharging the long incarcerated members of the All Progressive Congress Party (APC) over the case that was instituted about three years ago .

According to him, “This a positive development for the judiciary as the last hope of the common man to get justice, even as it did not allow innocent people to continue to be unjustly punished

“I personally rejoice and congratulate them for the justice at last, as I salute the courage and the support of the wives and children who have been in enduring the pains inflicted by their breadwinners incarceration since the last three and half years. I thank God that at least, their cries, fastingd and prayers and other efforts did not go in vain on them”

While lamenting the pains and trauma that the freed accused persons, their family members and friends have been put into, Ojo expressed with sadness the conditions they have gone through in the last three years of their “unjust incarceration”, Ojo however urged them to “be strong and put everything in the hands of God who has brought justice their way at last”

The gubernatorial aspirant also expressed the hope that the judiciary will continually uphold justice without fear or favour in the interest of the downtrodden and for the benefit of the people at large.

The defendants are Adebayo Aderiye, Adeniyi Adedipe, Sola Durodola, Kayode Ajayi, Oso Farotimi, Sola Adenijo and Rotimi Olanbiwonnu who are all members of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

Aderiye, an ally of Governor Ayo Fayose, was killed at his business premises in Ijigbo, Ado-Ekiti on 25th Sept. 2014 and the case against the accused commenced in November of the same year.

Trial judge, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, held that the prosecution failed to prove the complicity of the accused persons in the murder of Aderiye.

According to him, the prosecution failed to prove the count of conspiracy to kill the late Aderiye and the count of murder against all the seven defendants.

Ogunmoye held that the case of the prosecution was not helped by contradictory evidence led its witnesses which he said the court won’t believe.

The judge faulted the evidence of PW 1, Adewale Ibidapo, that one Adesokan Adedeji Israel emerged from a Golf car and shot sporadically into the air before firing the shot that killed the late transporter.

Ogunmoye held that “it is inconceivable that amidst sporadic gunshots, the witness would observe the purported killer(s) as what would be in the mind of the witness would have been how to escape from the scene hence the court won’t believe Ibidapo’s evidence.

Another witness whose evidence was discountenanced was PW3, Gbolahan Okeowo, who, according to the Judge, gave “mutually contradictory” evidence.The judge ruled: “Inconsistencies in the evidence of the prosecution
witnesses has created a doubt. Where two or more witnesses give contradictory evidence, it will be illogical to believe their testimony.”

“None of the alibi raised by the defendants was investigated by the police. The evidence of the prosecution failed to bring down the evidence of the defendants.

“The plea of evidence succeeds that the accused were not at the scene of the crime. The prosecution failed to rebut the evidence of the defendants.

“The prosecution has been unable to prove that the death of Chief Omolafe Aderiye was caused by any of the defendants.

“There was nowhere conspiracy can be inferred against any of the defendants. The first to seventh defendants are hereby discharged and acquitted, he averred.