An Oyo State High Court in Ibadan on Monday sentenced five men to death after finding them guilty of murdering a taxi driver during a dispute in 2024.
Justice Oyeyemi Ajayi held that Segun Taiwo (36), Kehinde Ademola (46), Yahaya Adeniyi (45), Chinonso Samson (41), and Opadotun Michael (32) were jointly responsible for conspiring and carrying out the killing of Akeem Shittu.
“I am of the considered view that the court could safely infer conspiracy in the acts that led to the death of Shittu,” the judge said.
The court initially sentenced each defendant to 20 years in prison for conspiracy before imposing the death penalty for the murder charge. “On count two, each of the defendants is sentenced to death by hanging,” Justice Ajayi ruled.
The prosecution, led by State Counsel K. K. Oloso, recounted how a minor road incident escalated into a fatal confrontation. On April 10, 2024, at Elepe, Arulogun Road in the Ojoo area of Ibadan, the defendants and others at large attacked Shittu after his taxi collided with a motorcycle carrying two passengers.
The conflict reportedly moved to a nearby pub over a dispute about compensation. Shittu was restrained, prevented from leaving, and fatally assaulted when he attempted to escape. Investigators later traced his taxi and personal belongings to a shop owned by a relative of one of the convicts.
The offences violated Sections 316, 319, and 324 of the Criminal Code Laws of Oyo State 2000, which prescribe penalties for murder and conspiracy.
Separately, in 2024, an Osun State High Court sentenced Wasiu Afolayan (36) and Kola Adeyemi (34) to death by hanging for conspiracy and armed robbery, underscoring the judiciary’s tough stance on violent crimes.
Culled: BarristerNG