Ondo court remands 21-year-old for allegedly strangling woman to death

By Boye Oyeyemi

A Magistrate’s Court sitting in Akure has ordered the remand of a 21-year-old carpenter, Anthony Alabi, over the alleged killing of a 58-year-old woman named Veronica Olaseni.

Alabi was arraigned by the police on a two-count charge of murder and theft.

However, the court declined to take his plea, citing that it lacks jurisdiction to entertain the case.

Presiding Magistrate, Temitope Adurota, subsequently ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Olokuta Correctional Centre pending legal advice from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Inspector Folashade Adebayo, disclosed that the offence was committed on March 2, 2026, at Iboropa-Akoko in Akoko North-East Local Government Area of the state.

She alleged that the defendant strangled the victim on her farm after she identified him during an attempted theft.

According to the prosecution, the suspect also made away with items belonging to the deceased, including a mobile phone, a cutlass and an ATM card, noting that the offences contravened relevant provisions of the Criminal Code Law of Ondo State.

Following the application by the prosecution, the magistrate directed that the case file be forwarded to the DPP for review and adjourned the matter till June 6 for mention.