Prince Adewale, son of late Oba of Lagos, Oba Adeyinka Oyekan, was on Monday sentenced to death by hanging for the murder of his boss, Alhaja Sikirat Ekun.
Justice Raliatu Adebiyi of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja convicted and sentenced him along with one Balogun after they were found guilty of murder.
The case has been on for seven years before the court.
The Lagos State government had accused the convict of contracting the second convict, Balogun for N6,000 to murder the 62-year-old businesswoman cum politician.
They were said to have strangled Ekun and threw her remains in a 1,000 feet well located in her residence.
Delivering judgment, Adebiyi stated that the prosecution had proven the charges of conspiracy to commit murder and murder beyond reasonable doubt.
”The circumstantial evidence was strong and cogent, the act of the defendants in killing the deceased was intentional and premeditated.
“The court finds that the prosecution has proven beyond reasonable doubt the offence of conspiracy and murder and are accordingly found guilty of the two-count charge,” he said.
Adebiyi said Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011 stipulated the punishment for the offence of murder, saying that subject to the provisions of any other law, a person who committed the offence of murder shall be sentenced to death.
“Same is the punishment for conspiracy to commit murder as contained in Section 231 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011. The above cited provisions of the law does not give the court any discretion whatsoever in sentencing the defendants.
“For this reason the first and second defendants are hereby sentenced accordingly on each of count one and two to death by hanging. May God the giver of life have mercy on your soul,” he ruled.
The prosecution team, led by Akin George, had told the court that the convicts committed the offences at 1:00am on October 17, 2012 at the home of the deceased located at No. 5, Babatunde Lalega Street, Omole Phase One, Lagos.
He said the deceased was a Restaurateur who knew Oyekan due to her friendship with his late mother and that due to the affinity between the women, Ekun employed the prince as the manager of her restaurant.
He stated that Balogun, the second defendant, was a former domestic staff of Ekun who was employed by her to take care of her elderly father, adding that his employment was however terminated following a dispute with Ekun.
“The convicts conspired, killed the deceased and threw her corpse in a well within the premises of her home and took over her businesses and properties including her bus which was sold for 170,000 Naira.
The prosecution said when any inquiry was made by family and friends about her whereabouts, Oyekan informed them that she had travelled to Abuja for the Ileya (Id el Kabir) festival and that he passed this information by sending a text message from Ekun’s mobile phone.
He explained that following panic and worry from members of Ekun’s family and after an extensive search, her corpse was found two months later in December 2012 by well diggers and fire fighters, adding that the convicts had placed a generator, a gas cylinder and other household items on the corpse to conceal it in the 1,000 feet well.
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