An Ogun State High Court sitting in Abeokuta on Monday convicted and sentenced three persons to death by hanging for killing a couple, Kehinde and Bukola Fatinoye, and their son, Oreoluwa, on New Year Day in 2023.
Justice Basirat Adebowale sentenced the trio of Adekanbi Lekan, who was driver of the deceased, Odetola Ahmed and Adeniyi Waheed, after delivering a judgement which lasted for more than three hours.
Kehinde, a former employee of the Central Bank of Nigeria and Bukola, alongside their only surviving son, Oreoluwa, attended the 2022/2023 crossover service at the Christ Anglican Church Iporo-Ake, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
They went home after the service, reveling in the excitement of the New Year, unknown to them that they were being trailed.
The family was still healing from the death of Oluwatunmise, the younger of the two sons, who died in June 2022, while playing football.
The police said, “The assailants took advantage of the busy crossover night into the New Year to carry out the dastardly act.”
The couple who lives at Oba Karunwi Road in Ibara GRA, Abeokuta, at about 1:30 am were robbed, gruesomely murdered and their house set ablaze.
The suspected assailants, Lekan Adekanbi, Ahmed Odetola, and Waheed Adeniji, tied their son, Oreoluwa and adopted son, Felix, with ropes and threw them into a river along Adigbe-Obada road, where Oreoluwa died.
However, the trio were arraigned alongside Fadairo Temitope (wife of the first defendant); Adekambi Adenike, the mother; Owolaja Aanuoluwapo; Usman Azeez, Abass Odetola and Adewusi Lukman on Monday.
They were arraigned on a 24-count charge relating to conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery, conspiracy to murder, murder, arson, and escape from lawful custody, perverting the course of justice, and receiving stolen property, among others.
Delivering the judgement, Justice Adebowale held that the prosecution proved its cases against three major defendants beyond reasonable doubt.
The judge found them guilty of gruesomely murdering the couple and the son before setting the corpses on fire.
Adebowale also held that the convicts did not deserve the court’s mercy, as their lawyers had asked, because of the way they killed the couple and their son.
The judge convicted and sentenced the first, second and third defendants on counts one to nine, handing them death by hanging or lethal injection, life imprisonment with hard labour, 14 years imprisonment among others.
“The sentence of this court on Adekambi Lekan in respect of count II is that you be hanged by neck until you’re dead or by lethal injection.
“May God have mercy on your soul,” the court held.
Lekan’s Wife was also convicted and sentenced for four years for count 12 and 14, which will run concurrently.
The judge discharged the mother on counts 12, 13 and 14, but found her guilty of count 15, sentencing her to one year imprisonment from the day of remand.
