By Sunmola Olowookere

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After three years trial, a 50-year-old welder, Daniyan Ojo, has been  sentenced by an Akure High Court  to death by hanging for causing the death of his wife. The accused committed the offence when he set their matrimonial home ablaze with his wife inside.

While delivering the judgement, Justice A. O Adebusoye, said that the prosecution  proved the case against Ojo beyond reasonable doubt and convicted him accordingly.

The convict had accused his wife of keeping property she bought a secret from him.

 Daniyan Ojo was said to have set the family house on fire after locking his wife inside, while Daniyan Dorcas, up inside the room while asleep, which eventually led to her death.

Following investigation by the police, he was made to stand trial before an Akure High Court judge, Justice Adebusoye, after his remand at the Olokuta Correctional Centre, Akure.

According to the prosecution led by Helen Falowo, the defendant  was charged with arson, murder and disabling to commit felony.

The incident occurred on September 14, 2019, at lrese Road in Shagari Village, Akure.

 Daniyan was also alleged to have disabled the only means of escape(door) of the victim before he set her on fire, in order to prevent her from escaping.

A witness living close to the family, Ajayi Ajiboye, said that he heard the defendant’s cry while he was in his house calling for help.

When he got to the compound, he discovered a room was on fire. He forcefully broke the door to the room with his leg.

He described how the defendant’s wife who was burnt beyond recognition rushed outside into the waiting hands of neighbours who came on the  rescue mission and she was immediately taken to the hospital for medical attention.

The following morning, landlords in the neighbourhood came to the house and discovered empty bottles containing petroleum products scattered under the victim’s bed and at strategic corners of her room.

A brother to the deceased, Adeniyi Samuel, testified that the defendant reported the victim to him in respect of a title document of a commercial vehicle bought.

He stated that he had apologized on his sister’s behalf, but few days after, the defendant again reported the victim to him about three plots of land bought and registered in her name which was confirmed by the deceased.

Adeniyi testified that his sister confided in him that she bought the property in her name because she was afraid of the husband disposing them without her knowledge.

He stated that he was able to resolve the issue between them and went to his base but was later informed on phone about how fire broke out at the defendant’s residence in which his sister was badly burnt.

He said that he visited the deceased at FMC, Owo and she explained what transpired when she arrived home on September 14, 2019 and her eventual admission at the hospital to him before she gave up the ghost on September 28, 2019 due to the degree of burns.

 He informed that it took the intervention of the police to effect the arrest of the defendant, who absconded immediately the incident occurred.

 The deceased’s daughter, Daniyan Happiness, stated that her father had on the fateful day prepared dinner for the family and later informed her and her siblings that he was going to buy fuel despite the fact that their two generators were faulty, and she wondered what he wanted to use the petrol for.

According to her, he also informed them upon his arrival that they should lock up the shop within their compound.

Her words: “I woke up briefly when my mother came back from her trip but later went back to sleep. It was the uproar of the residents and car that came to take my mother to the hospital that woke me up.”

Another neighbour, Ogunsola Babatunde also stated that he heard an alarm being raised in the defendant’s compound and thereafter went there to ascertain the cause of the uproar.

“I met the other landlords there. We all heard the victim shouting “It was my husband who packed cotton at the point where the fire started”. The victim later died in the hospital due to the degree of burns”.

Another family member of the deceased revealed that sometime in August 2019, the defendant reported the victim to her with respect to the fact that she sold a piece of land and paid the money into a friend’s account instead of his.

She said that she persuaded and pleaded with him to let go of the matter.

According to her, about three days later, the defendant reported the victim to her that she instructed her lawyer not to put the name “Mr and Mrs“ on the purchase receipt of a land newly acquired land by her.

She said that the defendant then threatened and called her attention to a popular radio programme where stories of some husbands beating their wives to death were being narrated and that her sister’s action could also make him beat her to death.

Police witness, Insp. Bayo Adaran of the Nigeria Police Force, attached to the State CID, Akure testified that a case of arson and murder was transferred from Okuta Elerinla Police Division to the State CID for further discreet Investigation and he was part of the team that Investigated the case.

He stated that he visited the scene of the crime. The complainant, the victim and the witnesses volunteered their statements voluntarily while he rearrested the defendant, charged and cautioned him in English Language.

The defendant volunteered confessional statement and the case file was later forwarded to the State Ministry of Justice for Legal Advice.

According to the medical report tendered by the prosecution,  the deceased was admitted to the hospital following a burn injury which she was involved in on September 14, 2019 at Shagari Village, Akure.

She was managed for 72 hours with full thickness burns and was in critical condition. She later gave up the ghost on September 14, 2019 due to the degree of burns.

During police investigation, the husband denied setting his wife’s room on fire or locking her inside the room. He had also maintained his story of innocence before the court.

However, the court ruled that judging from the evidences and testimonies before it, the accused person was guilty as  charged and thereafter sentenced him to death by hanging.