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 a 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 provision 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 firefighters, 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.
Culled from PMNEWS
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