By John Dike, Osogbo
An Osun State High Court sitting in Ile-Ife has sentenced a middle-aged labourer, Agboola Taiwo, to death by hanging for the gruesome murder of a 62-year-old woman, Jadesola Olubayo, at a palm oil processing site in Ifetedo area of the state.
The trial judge, Justice Dapo Adeniji of Court 3, Ile-Ife Judicial Division, delivered the judgment on Friday after finding the defendant guilty of murder, attempted rape and indecent assault.
The court also sentenced the convict to 14 years imprisonment for attempted rape and two years imprisonment for indecent assault on the defendant respectively
Taiwo had been standing trial on a three-count charge bordering on attempted rape, indecent assault and murder, contrary to Sections 359, 360 and 319(1) of the Criminal Code Laws of Osun State, 2002.
According to the prosecution, the incident occurred on October 11, 2023, at a palm oil processing site located at Amula River in Olokemeji village, Ifetedo.
The deceased, Jadesola Olubayo, had reportedly gone to the site alongside her granddaughter, Latifat Adeyemo, to process palm oil for sale when the defendant allegedly appeared naked and began behaving suspiciously.
During the trial, the prosecution told the court that the development caused panic, forcing Latifat to run to seek help from the operator of the processing site, Ajide Bashiru.
However, by the time she returned with Bashiru, the elderly woman had allegedly been stripped naked, battered and left in a pool of blood with severe injuries inflicted on her head.
The prosecution further stated that the defendant was apprehended not far from the scene with blood stains on his clothes before he was handed over to the police.
The state prosecution team, led by Ajibola Alade and Omotayo Babalola from the Osun State Ministry of Justice, called four witnesses and tendered several exhibits, including photographs from the crime scene, blood-stained items, medical reports, confessional statements and a video recording.
In the prosecution’s final written address, the state argued that the defendant attempted to rape the deceased before killing her with a stick and stone after she resisted him.
The prosecution also relied on the doctrine of “last seen,” maintaining that the deceased was last seen alive with the defendant shortly before her death.
The state insisted that the confessional statements made by the defendant were voluntary and corroborated by witness testimonies and circumstantial evidence.
However, the defendant denied committing the offences.
While testifying in his defence, Taiwo claimed that he was forcefully arrested and beaten by local residents before being handed over to the police, insisting that he never voluntarily made any statement.
The defence also challenged the admissibility of the confessional statements and questioned the absence of forensic examination on the blood-stained exhibits tendered before the court.
But Justice Adeniji, in his judgment, held that the prosecution successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The court consequently found the defendant guilty on all counts and sentenced him to death by hanging on the charge of murder.
The judge also imposed separate prison terms of 14 years and two years respectively for attempted rape and indecent assault.
