Court sentences killers of Ogun couple, son, to death by hanging

An Abeokuta High Court sitting in Kobape, on Monday, sentenced three men for killing Kehinde Fatinoye, his wife, Bukola, and son, Oreoluwa, on January 1, 2023.

 The three convicts are Lekan Adekanbi, Ahmed Odetola and Waheed Adeniyi.

 They were arraigned alongside six others: Temitope Fadairo and Adenike Adekanbi, wife and mother respectively of the first defendant, Adekanbi.

 Others are Anuoluwapo Owolaja, Azeez Usman, Abass Odetola and Lukmon Adewusi.

They were arraigned on a 24-count charge.

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The charges bordered on conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery, conspiracy to murder, murder, arson, escape from lawful custody, perverting the course of justice and receiving stolen property among others.

They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them.

The trial judge, Justice Basirat Adebowale, said the three convicts were majorly involved and were guilty of nine charges.

She held that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt that Adekanbi, Odetola and Adeniyi were guilty of the charges.

Adebowale said the offences contravened Sections 21(b),16(1)(b) of the Prohibition of forcible occupation of landed properties, armed robbery, kidnapping, cultism and other anti-violence and other related offences, Law of Ogun 2016.

In addition, she held that the offences contravened Sections 324, 316, 324 and 443 of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun 2006.

Adebowale, thereafter, convicted the trio to death by hanging.

“You, Adekanbi, Odetola and Adeniyi, for killing father, mother and son; you don’t deserve mercy,” she said.

The judge also convicted Fadairo, the wife of Adekanbi, to two years imprisonment for perverting the course of justice by hiding her husband.

Meanwhile, Adekanbi’s mother, Adenike, was also sentenced to one year imprisonment for making false statements to police officers.

Usman, a welder, was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for receiving stolen property; two years as an accessory to the act of armed robbery and seven years for compounding felonies.

The jail terms are to run concurrently with hard labour.

While Owolaja was sentenced to two years imprisonment as an accessory after the fact of murder, Odetola and Adewusi were discharged of the offences preferred against them.

Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Adefisoye Temilola, had told the court that the trio committed the offences on January 1, 2023 at Karounwi Street, Ibara Housing Estate in Abeokuta.

Temilola said Adekanbi, who was the driver to the couple, conspired with Odetola and Adeniyi to rob and murder the couple.

She said the three convicts, while armed with a gun, hammer and cutlass, robbed Fatinoye of the sum of N1.102 million and one Hyundai vehicle, valued at N12 million.

She also said they robbed the wife, Bukola, of her phones, valued at N1 million.

According to the prosecutor, Adekanbi used a sledgehammer to hit Bukola on the head and slashed her neck.

The prosecuting counsel further explained that after the robbery, Adeniyi slaughtered Fatinoye with a knife to the neck.

According to her, the house was later set ablaze and the couple’s only son, Oreoluwa, was thrown into Ogun River with hands and legs tied, which led to his death.