Five sentenced to d£ath for k!lling Ibadan taxi driver

Five sentenced to death for killing Ibadan taxi driver

The Oyo State High Court in Ibadan on Monday sentenced five men to death by hanging after finding them guilty of conspiracy and the murder of a taxi driver, Akeem Shittu.

The convicts; Segun Taiwo (36), Kehinde Ademola (46), Yahaya Adeniyi (45), Chinonso Samson (41), and Opadotun Michael (32), were convicted on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and murder by Justice Oyeyemi Ajayi.

In her judgment, Justice Ajayi held that the prosecution had established a clear case of joint involvement, noting that the evidence presented, including circumstantial details, sufficiently proved that the defendants acted in concert.

“I am of the considered view that this court can safely infer conspiracy in the events that led to the death of Akeem Shittu,” she ruled.

Each defendant was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for conspiracy to commit murder, while the court also handed down a death sentence by hanging on the second count.

Earlier, state counsel Mrs K. K. Oloso told the court that the incident occurred on April 10, 2024, around 8:30 p.m. at Elepe, Arulogun Road, Ojoo, Ibadan.

She explained that Shittu had accidentally hit a motorcycle carrying two riders, sparking an argument later taken to a nearby pub for settlement.

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According to the prosecution, the deceased was asked to pay N50,000 for treatment but offered N8,000 instead.

He was allegedly prevented from leaving, stripped naked, and later fled the scene before being pursued, overpowered, and hacked to death with a machete.

His taxi was later discovered parked in front of one of the convict’s wife’s shop.

The offences, Oloso noted, contravene Sections 316, 319, and 324 of the Criminal Code Laws of Oyo State 2000.