Murder: Monarch’s Son, 2 Others To Die By Hanging

Justice Kudirat Jose of the the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, yesterday ,convicted and sentenced the son of the traditional ruler of Mafoluku, in the Oshodi area of the state,  Ibrahim Omilade and to others to death by hanging.

Justice Jose hand down the verdict after founding Omilade and his co-convicts, two siblings Shola Oni and Kayode Oni, guilty of a two-count charge of conspiracy and murder brought against them by the Lagos State government.

The convict were accused of murdering of one Suleiman Afolabi during a fight on Christmas day in 2012 at Eyin Ogun Street, Mafoluku, Oshodi, by inflicting multiple machete cut on him.

Justice Jose held in her judgment “I pronounce the defendants guilty in respect of the charge of murder and conspiracy, I hereby sentence them to death, they shall be hanged by the neck until their death.”

The judge also used the opportunity to cautioned youths to learn from the ordeal that befell the convicts, she stressed that youths should stop going round to attack people to settle scores.

Trouble began for the trio on 25th December, 2012 during a fight at the deceased house when, according to the defendants, they were invited by a neighbor to celebrate Christmas with him.

The convicts claimed that not too long after they got to the house, a young boy came in and informed them that the deceased brother, Akeem Afolabi had threatened to deal with them.

They further claimed that they went to inquire about the reason for the threat but while discussing with the said Akeem, he ordered them to leave.

Akeem was alledged to have gone inside the house to get a cutlass with which he tried to attack one of them, an attempt, the convict claimed one of them blocked with his hand and got injured.

The convicts further narrated to the court during trial that it was while they were trying to dodge and plead with a berserk Akeem that Suleiman, the younger brother to the deceased was hit on the waist.

They said they got to know some days later that a doctor had pronounced the deceased dead.

However, the judge said their testimony sounded rehearsed and polished, hence she relied on the evidence before the court presented by both the prosecution counsel, Babatunde Oguntemowo and Olarewaju Ajanaku as well as points of law to pass judgement of death for the murder and 12 years for conspiracy counting from the day they were arrested.

(Leadership)