Crime

Killers of UNILORIN female student to die by hanging

Published

2 years ago

December 15, 2022 7:58 am

BodexNG

After about one and half years of legal tussle, an Ilorin high court on Tuesday sentenced the killers of Olajide Blessing Omowumi, a 300-level student of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), to death by hanging.

In June last year, Omowumi was raped and murdered in a merciless manner by the assailants.

According to NAN, Ibrahim Yusuf, the presiding judge, convicted the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd suspects — Abdulazeez Ismail, Ajala Oluwatimileyin, and Oyeyemi Omogbolahan respectively — for the offences of culpable homicide and armed robbery.

The judge also ordered that they should die by hanging.

“I direct you Abdulazeez Ismail, Ajala Oluwatimileyin, and Oyeyemi Omogbolahan, should be hanged by the neck until you’re pronounced dead,” Yusuf declared.

The court also sentenced the 4th and 5th suspects to three years imprisonment for the offence of theft.

Earlier, the court discharged and acquitted the 6th, 7th, and 8th suspects — Abdullateef Abdulrahman, Daud Aderayo and Akande Oladoja — on the basis that they were not found guilty of any charges against them.

According to the judgment, the student’s lifeless body was found with bruises all over. Her hands were said to have been tied to the back while a towel covered her face.

The judge added that the conventional statement which could be relied upon on the basis of law revealed that the deceased struggled with the killers until she was pushed and fell, while the 1st and 3rd convicts held her down for the 2nd convict to perpetrate the heinous crime of rape.

He said the deceased was raped to death on June 2, 2021, at her guardian’s residence in the Tanke area of Ilorin, and a piece of paper was dropped on her chest with a message containing: “No forgiveness for UNILORIN student”.

According to the judgment, Ismail, Oluwatimileyin and Omogbolahan conspired among themselves to rob the deceased of her Samsung Galaxy A2 Core handset, one black Acer Aspire laptop, and one Samsung drive, among several other items.

The killers were tried on 11-count charges bordering on murder, rape, armed robbery, and illegal possession of firearms, among others.

Reacting to the judgment, Salman Jawondo, the prosecution counsel, said justice had caught up with the culprits.

“The first, second and third defendants who are the main culprits were found guilty of culpable homicide punishable with death, conspiracy to commit robbery and conspiracy to murder,” Jawondo said.

“They were accordingly sentenced to death. That’s the maximum. There’s no discretion for the court to exercise by virtue of the provision of the Armed Robbery Act, its death.

“So also by virtue of Section 221 of the Penal Code, it’s a death sentence for culpable homicide. So, they were accordingly sentenced to death.

“Although, the third defendant, who was also convicted of rape was sentenced to life imprisonment, it’s neither here nor there. When somebody is condemned, life imprisonment does not ameliorate anything.

“With respect to the fourth and fifth defendants, they were found guilty of conspiracy to steal and stealing of money in the bank account of the deceased.

“You know, after killing her, they took her ATM card, Sim card and her phone.

“They changed her password, through the instrumentality of the fourth and fifth defendants, who are experts in computer manipulation, collected some money through transfer, totalling about N149,000.

“They were convicted for conspiracy and stealing/theft. They were accordingly sentenced to three years imprisonment to run concurrently. For conspiracy, one year, for main offence three years, commencing from the date of their arrest. They’ve spent about one and half years already in custody.

“The other three: sixth, seventh and eighth escaped by whiskers. They are fortunate. If you look at their involvement, they only assisted to dispose of property stolen.

“The irony of it all is that all those involved are very young men of 19, 23, etc. It’s quite unfortunate and that tells that we have to work on our future in this country.”

Crime

Thieves cart away cows meant for church harvest celebration

Published

1 day ago

November 24, 2024 9:59 am

BodexNG

Suspected thieves have carted away two cows from the premises of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) Testimony Parish in the Egbeda area of Oyo state.

In a post published on its Facebook page, the church said the stolen cows, bought at N1.9 million, were meant for its annual adult harvest thanksgiving celebration.

The incident happened on November 11 as the church prepared for the celebration slated for November 17.

After days of searching for the missing cows, the church solicited for financial contributions to buy new cows for the harvest celebration.

“Dear Celestians and The General public, This 2 Huge Cows was stolen where it was Tied in The Church Premises at CCC Testimony parish Elerumoke Area, Egbeda, Iyana Ajia and its meant for slaughter for the 9th adult harvest thanksgiving of the church coming up this Sunday 17th November 2024,” the church wrote on Facebook.

“We hereby solicit for your prayer for quick recovery of this harvest thanksgiving sacrificial materials.

“Anybody with useful information on how to recover these cows or any means of assistance to make the harvest thanksgiving a beautiful one should contact the parish shepherd.”

Crime

NDLEA arrests businessman for smuggling cocaine through ingestion

Published

1 day ago

November 24, 2024 9:55 am

BodexNG

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has announced the arrest of a businessman caught with a large quantity of cocaine.

Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy, revealed the arrest on Sunday via his X account, accompanied by a video displaying the seized contraband.

The businessman, whose identity has not been disclosed, reportedly ingested a substantial quantity of cocaine in an attempt to avoid detection.

Babafemi wrote, “Detty December: Before you swallow those drugs, please remember that the new @ndlea_nigeria has the capacity and capability to catch you.

“The businessman who excreted this amount of cocaine will not only spend Christmas behind bars but also risks a life sentence at the end of his trial. Beware!”

Crime

UK teenager risks 20 years in Dubai prison for sex with 17-year-old girl

Published

3 days ago

November 22, 2024 8:16 am

BodexNG

An 18-year-old British boy has been arrested for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old girl in Dubai.

Detained in Dubai, a group of UAE legal experts, said the teenager was on holiday with his parents when he met the girl — who is now 18 — at the same hotel.

The teenagers who are both from London were said to have made plans to continue their romance when they returned to the UK.

The group, which campaigns to help people it says have suffered injustice in the UAE, said the young man was charged because the girl’s mother found their chats and pictures back in the UK.

It was gathered that the woman subsequently contacted police in Dubai and he was arrested.

The boy however claimed he was unaware that the girl was younger than him when they met. The teenager also disclosed that he was in police custody for three days and was unable to contact his parents.

“We had a wonderful time together. We really liked each other but she was secretive with her family because they were strict,” he told Detained in Dubai.

“My parents knew about our relationship but she couldn’t tell hers. She had to meet me without telling them it was to see a boy.

“When she left, I couldn’t wait to see her again when I got home. Then suddenly, police knocked on our hotel door. They said they were taking me in for questioning but wouldn’t tell me why. I was frightened and my parents were terrified.”

The teenager, it is understood, could face up to two decades in prison owing to Dubai’s strict laws regarding sex outside marriage.

Radha Stirling, chief executive of the campaign group, said Dubai recently legalised out-of-wedlock sex for tourists but “still hosts a strict Islamic legal system”.

“Sex outside marriage is legal for tourists but only if both parties are over 18. The girl was just a few months younger than Marcus and he didn’t know that at the time,” Stirling said.

“Since his arrest, she has turned 18. This is not something Dubai should be prosecuting.

“Parents will be scared to take their older teenagers on vacation with them where they could end up losing their lives over behaviour that’s completely legal in their own countries.”

The teenager and his family have called on foreign secretary David Lammy, their local MP, to intervene in the case.

The teenager is no longer being held in a police cell but is unable to leave the country, with his family facing bills of £2,000 for Airbnb accommodation until his case is resolved.

Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others