Man to die by hanging for killing friend on Lagos-Ibadan expressway – (Written by Oluwatoyin Malik) Relief came the way of Ifedayo Adebisi family members on Friday at the premises of the Oyo State High Court after a court ruling sentenced Damilola Olusolade, who had been undergoing trial for the murder of his friend, to death by hanging. Delivering judgment on Friday, the judge who presided over the case at Court 8, Oyo State High Court, Ring Road, Ibadan, Justice Folajomi Oyelaran, however, committted the accused person to prison terms of two and three years respectively over count two and three of the charges against him. Olusolade was charged to court on a three-count charge of murder, concealment of body and stealing. He was accused of killing his friend, Ifedayo Adebisi, on December 2, 2009, while they were on the way back to Ibadan from Lagos where the deceased went to buy a vehicle for himself in company of Olusolade. Olusolade was also accused of concealing his friend’s body which he confessed to have disposed of along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway after strangulating him. The third count also read that the accused stole a Mitsubishi Space Wagon vehicle belonging to Adebisi and converted same for his personal use. While reading her judgment, Justice Oyelaran said that though the defence counsel said that the prosecution had not been able to prove that the alleged missing person (Adebisi) was dead, as there were no medical report or eyewitness report, the confessional statement of the accused had given all needed answers to questions raised. She stated that Olusolade’s statement inferred that he was the last person with the deceased, adding that an accused could be judged on confessional statement if given voluntarily. Saying that the court believed in the truth of the statement, Justice Oyelaran declared that the prosecution had proved his case beyond reasonable doubt. In her ruling, she said the accused was guilty of the murder charge. She went further that he was guilty of the second charge of concealment of body, handing him a sentence of two years imprisonment. The judge also found Olusolade guilty of the third count charge and sentenced him to three years imprisonment. Before pronouncing judgment on the first count charge, the judge asked the defence counsel if he had anything to say. He stood up to plead that the accused be given a fair term of imprisonment instead of making the accused face the full wrath of the law. However, Justice Oyelaran, while ruling on the first count, said that the law does not allow her to change the punishment spelt out for such a capital offence. She then pronounced that “the accused is hereby sentenced to death by hanging. May the Lord have mercy on his soul.” Another drama played before and at the end of the court proceedings when prison warders who brought the accused to court refused to allow Saturday Tribune take Olusolade’s picture. About five officials, led by one Soluade M.T. threatened to ‘roughen’ the Tribune journalist if she dared take the accused’s picture, while one of the warders, O.J. Adeniji, claimed that the act of the journalist was against the law. When Saturday Tribune put a call through to the Deputy Controller of Prisons, Mr Sowunmi, he asked the journalist to go to the Chief Registrar’s office to get an approval to take the picture. Surprisingly, after the acting Chief Registrar, Mrs Olatunji-Daniels, had spoken with Mr Sowunmi, educating him that the journalist had not erred against any law, and he said he was not against the picture being taken once the permission was granted by her, Soluade and Adeniji refused to act on her approval. They told her that their boss said that the reporter should come to Agodi Prisons to take the picture of the accused. Efforts of the acting Chief Registrar to get back to the Deputy Controller of Prisons were frustrated as the man allegedly switched off his phone immediately he heard her voice, after pretending as if the line was not clear. A source at the court premises told Saturday Tribune that the accused would likely be moved to Abeokuta Prisons yesterday (Friday) as he was not expected to remain in Agodi prisons after conviction. will be recalled that Olusolade killed his friend on December 2, 2009 along Lagos-Ibadan expressway at about 9:00 p.m. on their way back from Lagos. Adebisi had asked the accused to accompany him to Berger area of Lagos State where he went to purchase a Tokunbo vehicle. After killing Adebisi, the deceased confessed that he left his body in the bush along the express and registered Adebisi’s vehicle in his own name, claiming to be the owner. Olusolade and Adebisi were from the same town in Owo, Ondo State and had attended the same secondary school before they gained admission to different institutions for their tertiary education. They were said to have met again in Ibadan after many years and had continued their friendship before the accused killed Adebisi.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Jun 2013 06:26:15 +0000
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