Court frees alleged brother’s killer

By Sunmola Olowookere
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A man in his early twenties, Odunayo Ikudehinbu, who was alleged of stabbing his elder brother, Segun Ikudehinbu, aged 35, to death during a fit of rage in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government area of Ondo state, has been set free by an Akure High Court.

The trial judge, Justice Samuel Bola discharged and acquitted the accused person for failure of the prosecution to establish a case of murder against him.

The accused person was dragged before the court after he was slammed with one-count-charge of manslaughter.

The prosecution had alleged that he had hit his late brother, Segun on the head with a hurricane lantern, and stabbed him on the throat with a knife during a fight which led to his death.

He was said to have committed the offence on December 3, 2017, around 10pm at Ayodele compound, College road, Igbokoda

A family member, one Orimisan Ikudehinbu, was the complaint in the case.

The accused person represented by one Barr. Olugbenga Adedibu had pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the one-count charge that was preferred against him.

The prosecution was led by one J.K Orimoloye of the Department of Public Prosecutions, Ministry of Justice.

From investigation conducted by the police, the prosecution has it that the crime happened following a heated argument which degenerated into a fight between the accused person and the deceased.

In the course of the fight, the accused person was alleged to have hit a hurricane lamp on the deceased’s head and also stabbed him with a knife on the throat which led to excessive bleeding from the wounded person.

He was said to have been rushed to a nearby hospital where he was said to have given up the ghost.

The accused person had allegedly taken to his heels though he was later apprehended by the police after the case was reported to them.

After he was arrested, the police obtained his statement in which he was said to have confessed to committing the crime.

The statement of the complainant and that of other witnesses were also obtained, while the police visited the scene of crime at Ayodele Compound, College road, Igbokoda.

During the trial, Segun Ikudehinbu, in his defence, told the court that the deceased only fell down and died during their fight and that he did not kill him as alleged.

He had denied his earlier claims in his statement with the police and had told the court that it was the deceased who slapped him while he held his peace because he was older than him.

He claimed that the deceased had become enraged when other members of the family had rebuked him for causing trouble in the family.

According to the accused, the deceased rushed inside the room and brought out a wire while threatening that none of them would sleep inside the house that day.

He said that in his rage, he fell down and fainted, while the family members had rushed him to the hospital where he gave up the ghost.

Under cross examination, he denied seeing any blood on the deceased as he was rushed to the hospital.

The presiding judge, Justice Samuel Bola, in his judgement stated that he had discharged and acquitted the accused person due to lack of evidence against him.