Driver to die by hanging for killing lecturer
A LAGOS High Court sitting in Ikeja presided over by Justice Olubunmi Oyewole has sentenced a driver, Kehinde Olude to death by hanging for the murder of a lecturer.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Oyewole said he had examined the submissions of the prosecution led by Luqman Sanusi and the defence counsel, Mrs. Femi Ajanaku and “found the defendant guilty as charged and convicted him accordingly”.
The judgement came 12 years after the accused murdered his victim, Mr. R. A. Adisa, a Senior Lecturer at the Federal College of Education, Okene, Kogi State.
According to Justice Oyewole, “The sentence of the court upon you, Kehinde Olude, is that you be hanged by the neck until you be dead and may the Lord have mercy on your soul”.
Olude was alleged to have murdered Adisa on November 29, 2000 in Alafon Village along Lagos/Ibadan Expressway and dispossessed his victim of his new ash-coloured Honda car contrary to Section 319(1) of the Criminal Code Cap 32, Vol. 2, Laws of Lagos State 1994.
The prosecution said the deceased had sought the assistance of the defendant to help him drive the car to Okene since he could not drive.
After killing his victim, the accused person, who was a driver with the Institute of Management and Technology, Ketu until November 14, 2000, later gave the car to his friend who sold it and gave him the proceeds to process a purported journey abroad.
In the judgement, the trial judge held that sufficient evidence existed before the court to come to the inevitable conclusion that the defendant murdered the deceased, Mr. Adisa as alleged.
During the trial, the prosecution called five witnesses including the father of the defendant, whose testimonies, the trial judge noted were “not subjected to cross-examination by the defence”.
Justice Oyewole, therefore, held that the facts deductible from the evidence of the prosecution witnesses are that the deceased, had travelled to Lagos from Okene to purchase the imported fairly-used car and after, engaged the defendant with whom the said Adisa was cordial, to drive the car to Okene.
The judge further stated that when the defendant eventually showed up at home with an unlicensed car, his father, knowing the financial situation of his son, ordered him to take the car off his premises.
He added that there was no doubt the accused person had the opportunity to commit the offence for which he was charged.
He stated that it was equally instructive that while those who knew the victim did not refer to him as dead in their testimonies before the court, the accused person in the witness box “had no inhibition in referring to him as deceased, indicating knowledge of the unfortunate situation of the said gentleman.”
“I hold that there is sufficient evidence before the court to unequivocally ground the inference that the defendant murdered the deceased, Mr. R.A. Adisa”.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Oyewole said he had examined the submissions of the prosecution led by Luqman Sanusi and the defence counsel, Mrs. Femi Ajanaku and “found the defendant guilty as charged and convicted him accordingly”.
The judgement came 12 years after the accused murdered his victim, Mr. R. A. Adisa, a Senior Lecturer at the Federal College of Education, Okene, Kogi State.
According to Justice Oyewole, “The sentence of the court upon you, Kehinde Olude, is that you be hanged by the neck until you be dead and may the Lord have mercy on your soul”.
Olude was alleged to have murdered Adisa on November 29, 2000 in Alafon Village along Lagos/Ibadan Expressway and dispossessed his victim of his new ash-coloured Honda car contrary to Section 319(1) of the Criminal Code Cap 32, Vol. 2, Laws of Lagos State 1994.
The prosecution said the deceased had sought the assistance of the defendant to help him drive the car to Okene since he could not drive.
After killing his victim, the accused person, who was a driver with the Institute of Management and Technology, Ketu until November 14, 2000, later gave the car to his friend who sold it and gave him the proceeds to process a purported journey abroad.
In the judgement, the trial judge held that sufficient evidence existed before the court to come to the inevitable conclusion that the defendant murdered the deceased, Mr. Adisa as alleged.
During the trial, the prosecution called five witnesses including the father of the defendant, whose testimonies, the trial judge noted were “not subjected to cross-examination by the defence”.
Justice Oyewole, therefore, held that the facts deductible from the evidence of the prosecution witnesses are that the deceased, had travelled to Lagos from Okene to purchase the imported fairly-used car and after, engaged the defendant with whom the said Adisa was cordial, to drive the car to Okene.
The judge further stated that when the defendant eventually showed up at home with an unlicensed car, his father, knowing the financial situation of his son, ordered him to take the car off his premises.
He added that there was no doubt the accused person had the opportunity to commit the offence for which he was charged.
He stated that it was equally instructive that while those who knew the victim did not refer to him as dead in their testimonies before the court, the accused person in the witness box “had no inhibition in referring to him as deceased, indicating knowledge of the unfortunate situation of the said gentleman.”
“I hold that there is sufficient evidence before the court to unequivocally ground the inference that the defendant murdered the deceased, Mr. R.A. Adisa”.
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