Ondo court sentences vulcaniser to death for mob killing

By Boye Oyeyemi

An Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure has sentenced a vulcaniser, Wasiu Ibrahim, to death by hanging for his role in the murder of Joseph Odunayo, who was allegedly beaten to death after being accused of stealing a mobile phone.

Justice Ademola Enikuomehin, who delivered the judgment, found Ibrahim guilty of murder and conspiracy, ruling that the prosecution established the offences beyond reasonable doubt. In addition to the death sentence for murder, the court sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment for conspiracy.

The prosecution, led by D.S. Msonter-Shagba, told the court that the incident occurred on December 31, 2024, along Continental Road, Akure, after Odunayo was accused of stealing an Infinix phone belonging to Lekan Falohun a few days earlier. The defendant pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned on November 25, 2025.

During the trial, six prosecution witnesses testified while six exhibits were tendered. The evidence showed that the deceased was forced to lead his captors to the alleged buyer of the phone before escaping from a moving motorcycle and sustaining injuries. After he was recaptured, he was allegedly tied up and repeatedly beaten by Ibrahim, Falohun and other suspects who remain at large.

Witnesses told the court that the assault continued despite appeals from the victim’s relatives and members of the community. Emmanuel Sunday, the deceased’s brother, testified that Ibrahim continued attacking Odunayo even after he had collapsed, while another witness, Bose Ojo, said she saw the convict strike the victim with a wooden plank after pushing him from a vehicle.

The prosecution further stated that police officers refused to detain the badly injured victim because of his condition and instead directed that he be taken to a hospital for treatment. Odunayo later died at a police clinic. Although no autopsy was conducted, the court held that eyewitness accounts sufficiently established that the severe beating led to his death.

Justice Enikuomehin dismissed Ibrahim’s claim that he merely transported the victim and other persons on a commercial motorcycle and took no part in the assault, holding that the testimonies identifying him as one of the attackers remained consistent and credible throughout the trial. The judge also condemned mob justice and urged the police to apprehend Falohun and other fleeing suspects.

Pronouncing the sentence, the judge said, “You, Wasiu Ibrahim, shall be hanged by the neck until you are dead, and may the good Lord have mercy upon you.”