On Monday, 29-year-old Adedayo Olawole was sentenced to death by Hanging for the murder of a Mr Chukwudi Joseph at an Ekiti State High Court, Ado Ekiti Division. The court additionally sentenced him to seven years in prison without an option for fine for conspiring in the murder of the victim. Adedayo was initially arraigned on March 29, 2023, facing two charges related to conspiracy and murder.
The charge read, “That Adedayo Olawole and others now at large at Eporo in Emure Ekiti did conspire to murder one Chukwudi Joseph. The offenses are contrary to Sections 244 and 243 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State Nigeria, 2021.
An eyewitness, the deceased’s cousin, testified in court that he saw the defendant and several others strike the deceased with planks. One of the defendant’s associates then stabbed the deceased in the left side of his chest, causing him to fall and die before help could arrive. Prosecutor Ibironke Odetola presented six witnesses and submitted the defendant’s statements, photos of the deceased, and other supporting documents as evidence.
In his judgment, Justice Jubril Aladejana stated that attacking the deceased with planks followed by stabbing him in the left side of the chest demonstrated the assailants’ intent to kill him.
The judge confirmed that the prosecution had conclusively demonstrated that the defendant, along with others still at large, conspired to commit the felony of murder in Eporo Ekiti on December 10, 2021. As a result, the judge ruled in favor of the prosecution.
The judge said, “On count one (Conspiracy), the defendant is sentenced to seven years imprisonment without an option of fine;
“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.”
