The Ondo State High Court in Akure has sentenced a 32-year-old man, Toba Adeyemi, to death by hanging for the murder of a youth leader, Michael Alademomi, popularly known as “Eko,” during a supremacy clash in the city.
Adeyemi was arraigned in October 2021 on charge number AK/58C/2021, facing two counts of conspiracy and murder. Delivering judgment, Justice Yemi Fasanmi ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The judge sentenced Adeyemi to 14 years' imprisonment for conspiracy and death by hanging for murder. "I hereby sentence Adeyemi to 14 years imprisonment on the count of conspiracy and sentence him to death by hanging for stabbing the deceased to death, in accordance with the law," Justice Fasanmi stated.
Prosecution counsel D.G. Kayode informed the court that the offense occurred on May 1, 2021, at No. 50B, Fadeyi Street, Oshinle, Akure. Around 5 p.m., the convict and accomplices allegedly conspired to kill Alademomi by beating and stabbing him in the neck.
The prosecution presented four witnesses and submitted the defendant's extra-judicial statement as evidence, while Adeyemi testified as the sole defense witness. He denied involvement in the crime. The prosecutor noted that the offense violated Sections 316 and 319 of the Criminal Code, Cap 37, Vol. 1, Laws of Ondo State, 2006.
A prosecution witness testified that the defendant arrived at the deceased's residence with about eight men on motorcycles and allegedly pointed at Alademomi before the attack. The witness said the deceased ran into the house shouting for help, bleeding profusely after being stabbed in the neck. The attackers fled immediately, and the victim was rushed to the hospital, where he died about three hours later due to excessive blood loss. A deep cut was observed on his neck.
Defense counsel Fortune Falade argued that no direct evidence linked Adeyemi to the stabbing. However, Justice Fasanmi held that oral and documentary evidence showed the defendant deliberately went to the deceased's residence with armed supporters to intimidate and assault him over a prior disagreement. The judge stated that the defendant mobilized the group as a show of strength against the deceased, and the injuries inflicted led to Alademomi's death.
Justice Fasanmi further noted that the testimonies of prosecution witnesses corroborated each other, establishing that the deceased sustained fatal neck injuries during the assault. "The evidence before this court clearly shows that the defendant committed the offense of murder punishable with death. The prosecution has successfully discharged the burden of proof placed upon it by law," the judge ruled.
He consequently sentenced the convict to death by hanging in accordance with the law.
