An Osun State High Court on Thursday sentenced a commercial motorcyclist, Muyideen Tunji, 47, alongside his friends, Yusuf Muslim, 48, and Rabiu Fatai, 55, to death by hanging for the murder of a 53-year-old widow.
The trio were convicted by a court presided over by Justice Fatimah Sodamade after being found guilty of conspiracy, murder and unlawful possession of human parts.
They were arraigned on January 31, 2022, on a three-count charge contrary to Sections 324, 319(a) and 329A(1) of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume 2, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002. The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
During the trial, the prosecution counsel from the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Dele Akintayo, told the court that Tunji invited the deceased, Asiata Yekeen, to his residence in Ile-Ogbo under the guise of paying her a debt.
He said that upon her arrival, she met the two other defendants in the house, where she was later killed. Akintayo added that the matter was reported to the police and the Amotekun Corps in Ile-Ogbo after efforts to reach the victim proved unsuccessful.
According to the prosecution, witnesses who saw the deceased enter Tunji’s residence alerted security operatives. Tunji was said to have fled after learning that security agents were searching for him, before he was eventually arrested alongside the other defendants.
The prosecution called six witnesses and tendered 13 exhibits, including confessional statements made by the convicts.
Counsel to the defendants, Mr. J.D. Olaniyan, Mr. Adesina Olaniyan and Mr. Bayo Alade, argued that the prosecution’s case was based on hearsay and urged the court to dismiss the charges.
In her judgment, Justice Sodamade held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and found the defendants guilty on all counts.
The court sentenced the convicts to four years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit murder, death by hanging for murder, and five years’ imprisonment for unlawful possession of human parts.
