From Michael Ofulue,  Osogbo

|

                An Osogbo High Court has sentenced three persons to death for robbing and killing a National Youth Service Corps member, Adebayo Mukaila.

The killers are Jelli Kareem, a herbal seller; Oludayo Oludele, an Okada rider; and Awodeji Muyiwa, an electrician.

The trio conspired and carried out the crime in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

The convicts pleaded not guilty when they were arraigned on October 8, 2020, alongside one vulcanizer, Anifowose Biliaminu, who they sold stolen recharge cards to after the robbery and killing.

During the trial, the prosecutor from the Ministry of Justice, Muyiwa Ogunleye, called four witnesses: the 10-year-old daughter of the deceased who witnessed the murder, a family member, a pathologists, and an investigative police officer.

The prosecutor stated, “Kareem, Oludele, and Muyiwa, on January 28, 2020, in the Omo West Area, conspired to rob and kill Mukaila, taking his phone, recharge cards, and other valuables.”

He added that Biliaminu also received the stolen recharge cards from Mukaila, noting that the offences of conspiracy, robbery, murder, and possession of firearms contravened Sections 316, 319, and 324 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap.34, Vol. 2, Laws of Osun State, 2002, and Section 27 of the Robbery and Firearms Act, Cap R11, LFN 2004.

However, the defense counsel, Shina Olaniyan, and Legal Aid Counsel, Folashade Ipede and Suleiman Akano, urged the court to dismiss the case against the convicts, noting that the prosecution did not prove the charges of murder, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, and unlawful possession of firearms against the defendants.

Delivering the judgment, Justice Adedapo Adeniji of the State High Court, Ile-Ife, stated that the prosecution proved all charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

He sentenced them to death for the offences and discharged and acquitted Anifowose Biliaminu for receiving stolen recharge cards.