An Ekiti State High Court in Ado Ekiti has handed down a death sentence to 29-year-old Adedayo Olawole for the murder of one Chukwudi Joseph.
In a ruling delivered on Monday, Justice Jubril Aladejana condemned Olawole to death by hanging and an additional seven years’ imprisonment for conspiracy in the fatal crime.
Olawole stood trial on two counts of conspiracy and murder, stemming from an incident on December 10, 2021, at Eporo in Emure Ekiti.
The charges stated that Olawole and others, now at large, conspired to murder Chukwudi Joseph, offenses contrary to Sections 244 and 243 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, Nigeria, 2021.
During the trial, an eyewitness and cousin to the deceased testified that he saw Olawole and his accomplices assault Joseph with planks before one of them fatally stabbed him in the left side of his chest.
The prosecutor, Ibironke Odetola, called six witnesses and tendered the defendant’s statements, pictures of the deceased, and other supporting documents as exhibits.
In his judgment, Justice Aladejana stated that the assault with planks before the fatal stabbing demonstrated the assailants’ intent to cause grievous bodily harm or death. Satisfied that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that Olawole and others conspired to commit the felony of murder, the judge sentenced him accordingly.
“On count one (Conspiracy), the defendant is sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment without an option of fine,” Justice Aladejana pronounced. “On Count two (Murder), the sentence of this court upon Adedayo Olawole is that you shall be hanged by the neck until you be dead, may God have mercy on your soul.”
This ruling comes just two months after another Ekiti State High Court sentenced 28-year-old Ayodeji Alomoge to death by hanging for killing a man involved with his wife.
The death penalty remains a legal punishment in Nigeria, though its application has been a subject of ongoing debate and scrutiny from human rights organizations.
