The Osun State High Court sitting in Ile-Ife has sentenced a 30-year-old man, Taiwo Agboola, to death for the murder of a 62-year-old woman, Mrs Jadesola Olubayo.
Agboola was reported to have killed the victim on October 11, 2023, at a palm oil processing facility located near the Amula River in Olokemeji Village, Ifetedo, in Ife South Local Government Area of Osun State.
The defendant faced a three-count charge bordering on attempted rape, indecent assault on a female, and murder, contrary to Sections 359, 360, and 319(1) of the Criminal Code Cap. 34 Laws of Osun State, 2002.
He was first arraigned on November 7, 2024. During the proceedings, the prosecution presented four witnesses, while the defendant testified on his own behalf without calling additional witnesses.
Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Adedapo Adeniji ruled that “the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt” and “consequently found the defendant guilty of murder.”
While presenting the case, the prosecution team from the Ministry of Justice, led by Ajibola Alade and Omotayo Babalola, informed the court that the deceased’s granddaughter, Latifat Adeyemo, had accompanied her grandmother to the palm oil factory on the day of the incident.
Testifying before the court, Adeyemo stated that Agboola suddenly emerged at the factory and removed his clothes, causing fear and confusion among the two women present.
She explained that she and her grandmother attempted to escape, but Agboola chased and overpowered the deceased.
Adeyemo further told the court that after seeking help from the factory owner, identified as Ajide Bashiru, they returned to discover that Agboola had stripped the deceased naked and attacked her with a stone and stick, resulting in her death at the scene.
She added that Agboola fled initially but was later captured near the crime scene and handed over to the police.
Counsel to the defendant, Oluwaseun Akintola Philip-Idiok and Victoria Ugochi Layi-Jacob, appealed to the court for leniency during sentencing.
After convicting Agboola on all three counts, Justice Adeniji sentenced him to “14 years’ imprisonment for count one, bordering on attempted rape; two years imprisonment for indecent assault and death for count three, bordering on murder.”
