Court sentences three to death for murder in Osun

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

An Osun State High Court sitting in Iwo has sentenced three men to death by hanging for the murder of a 53-year-old widow, Asiata Yekeen, allegedly for money ritual purposes.

The convicts, Muideen Tunji (47), Yusuf Muslim (48) and Rabiu Fatai (55), were convicted by Justice Fatimah Adejoke 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 bordering on conspiracy, murder and unlawful possession of human parts, contrary to Sections 324, 319(a) and 329A(1) of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume 2, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002, to which they pleaded not guilty.

During the trial, prosecuting counsel, Barrister Dele Akintayo, told the court that Tunji lured the deceased to his residence in Ile-Ogbo under the guise of settling a debt, where she met the two other defendants.

The prosecution stated that the three men strangled the deceased shortly after her arrival, dismembered her body and buried the remains in a shallow grave behind Tunji’s house after severing vital body parts.

The case was reported to the police and the Amotekun Corps by concerned individuals when efforts to reach the deceased failed, while witnesses who saw her enter Tunji’s house also alerted security operatives.

The defence counsel urged the court to dismiss the charges, arguing that the prosecution’s case was based on hearsay, but the prosecution called six witnesses and tendered 13 exhibits, including confessional statements.

In her judgment, Justice Sodamade held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced the convicts to four years’ imprisonment for conspiracy, death by hanging for murder, and five years’ imprisonment for unlawful possession of human parts.