By Ayodele Popoola
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An Akure Chief Magistrate Court has ordered the remand of a 24-year-old labourer, Sunday Clement in Olokuta Correctional Centre, for allegedly beheading a 30-year-old farmer, Taye Alatoye.
Clement, whose address was not provided, was arrested by men of Ondo State Police Command after he allegedly killed the victim on his way to the farm.
It was gathered that on the day of the incident, Clement and Alatoye were going to the farm, when he suddenly moved backward, removed his sharpened cutlass, and cut the victim on his neck, leaving his head dangling without any genuine reason.
He was later brought to court charged with murder.
According to the police prosecutor, Mary Adebayo, the defendant committed the offence on September 4, 2023, at about 2:30 pm at Baba Odun Camp, Ofosu in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state.
Adebayo told the court that the defendant killed one Alatoye, by macheting him with a cutlass on his neck which led to his death.
The offence contravenes Sections 316 and 319 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 37 Vol. II Law of Ondo State, 2006.
Adebayo, while presenting a remand application, urged the court to remand the defendant at the Olokuta Correctional Centre pending the outcome of advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
The defendant who pleaded for forgiveness, told the court that he was on his way to the farm to work on his portion of land on the fateful day after taking a hard drug, Crystal methamphetamine also known as ‘ice’ and marijuana.
“We were both going, and we greeted each other on the road part.”
“The spirit just came over me to cut off Taye’s head. I can’t actually say what led to it. I think it was the ‘Ice’ I took in the hot sun,” he explained.
“The spirit just told me to go backward and I did. All my eyes were blocked and I heard another voice that instructed me to cut the man with the cutlass in my hand, which I did.
“Immediately I did it, I came back to my senses and started crying before I was eventually apprehended by the police, “ the defendant explained.
Chief Magistrate Folasade Aduroja, did not take Clement’s plea for want of jurisdiction.
Granting the prosecutor’s request, Aduroja ordered the remand of the defendant in the Custodial Centre and also directed that the case file be duplicated and sent to the DPP for advice.
Aduroja adjourned the case till November 28, 2023.
