Court sentences 3 to death for killing army commandant in Ibadan

The Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan, the state capital, has sentenced three persons to death by hanging for the murder of Col. Anthony Okeyin, the Commandant of the Nigerian Army Secondary School in the Apata area of Ibadan.

The three convicts sentenced to death by hanging on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, are Agada Solomon, Taiwo Adeniyi, and Bibisoye Kehinde.

Justice Ezekiel Ajayi also sentenced the convicts to 14 years imprisonment each for the offences of conspiracy and armed robbery.

Six defendants were arraigned in the case in 2016 on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, murder, and armed robbery.

The three other defendants – Ewere Andrew, Udobata Oruza–Uzie, and Ephraim Obi – were discharged and acquitted.

The judge found the convicts guilty on count one of conspiracy, count two of murder, count three of conspiracy, and four of armed robbery.

Justice Ajayi said: “The first, second, and third defendants gave confessional statements while the phone of the deceased commandant was found with the first defendant and are therefore convicted accordingly.

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“The only offence of the sixth defendant, Ephraim Obi, is that his Camry car was used to commit the crime.

“However, establishing by evidence, therefore, Ewere Andrew, Udobata Oruza-Uzie, and Ephraim Obi are not guilty of armed robbery and are thereby discharged and acquitted.”

Earlier, the counsel for the convicts, F.O. Awonusi, in his allocutus, urged the court to temper justice with mercy.

During trial, the prosecution counsel, K. K. Oloso, said the convicts killed the army commandant at 6:15 a.m. on December 12, 2016.

The prosecutor told the court that the defendants conspired at the Commandants Quarters of Nigerian Army Secondary School in Ibadan to murder Col. Okeyin.

“The defendants caused the death of Okeyin, 52, by breaking his skull while armed with offensive weapon and robbed him of his Samsung X4 phone and N45,000 cash,” Oloso said.

She added that the offence was contrary to Section 316 and punishable under Section 319 and 324 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.

Oloso said that the offence also contravened Section 1(2) (a) and (b) and Section 6 (b) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

The Star