Court sentences 6 to death for murder in Ekiti
An Ekiti state High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has sentenced six persons to death for murder and attempted murder.
The convicts are Oniyelu Olu (63), Folorunso Oluwatoba (65), Peter Ajayi (73), Tijani Arowolo (80), who died during the pendency of the suit in court, Dolamu Olaide (29), John Ojo (77) and Lateef Arowolo (45).
Pronouncing the death penalty by hanging on the accused persons, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye said the prosecution has successfully established a prima facie case of conspiracy, attempted murder and murder against them.
According to charges against the condemned persons, the offences are contrary to Sections 516 of the Criminal Code, Section 320 of the Criminal Code and Section 316 of the Criminal Code of Ekiti state, 2012.
The prosecution informed the court that the offence was committed on or about February 7, 2017 at Ilupeju Ekiti when they conspired to murder one Sola Adeniyi (27).
According to the charge sheet, they also attempted to murder another man, a commercial motor-cyclist, Ojo Olaoluwa (22), who gave evidence that the second accused person (Folorunso Oluwatoba) stopped him on that fateful day when he was about to mount his motor-bike.
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Olaoluwa told the court that he noticed blood dropping from the bag Oluwatoba was carrying, prompting him to ask him to open the bag because of the police check -point ahead.
According to the commercial motorcycle rider, the second accused person answered that the bag contains a grass cutter and as such he cannot open the bag.
The witness added that when the second accused person perceived that the content of the bag may be incriminating, the convict took to his heels his accomplices shot at him (commercial motorcyclist).
To prove its case, the prosecutor, Oluwakemi Daniel called five witnesses. Exhibits tendered include the confessional statements made to the police by the accused persons, photographs of the severed body of the deceased, medical report from the Ekiti state University Teaching Hospital, a dane gun, locally made single barrel and one cartridge.
On the conspiracy and attempted murder charge, all the accused persons bagged five years imprisonment each except the second accused person who was sentenced to 10 years.
All the accused persons spoke in their own defence through their lawyers, Chris Omokhafe, Sule Longe, Busuyi Ayorinde and Emmanuel Adetifa, and called no witnesses.
