An Osun High Court sitting in Iwo, on Thursday, sentenced three men to death by hanging for murder and unlawful possession of human parts.
The convicts, Muideen Tunji, Yusuf Musulimi and Rabiu Fatai, were found guilty on a three-count charge of conspiracy, murder and unlawful possession of human parts.
Justice Fatimah Sodamade, in her judgment, held that the prosecution proved his case beyond reasonable doubt and convicted the defendants accordingly.
The judge said the judgment would serve as a deterrent to others who might be involved in similar criminal acts.
Earlier, the prosecution counsel from the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Dele Akintayo, told the court that the convicts committed the offence on Jan. 31, 2022, at Ile-Ogbo in Osun.
Akintayo said that one of the convicts invited the deceased, Asiata Yekeen, to his residence under the pretext of paying her a debt.
He said that upon her arrival, the other two convicts joined him, conspired and killed the deceased.
The prosecution said several efforts by family members and operatives of the Amotekun Corps to locate the deceased proved abortive until an eyewitness who saw her entering the convicts’ apartment reported the matter to the police.
Akintayo added that the three suspects fled to evade arrest but were later tracked and apprehended by a police intelligence team.
The defence counsels, Messrs J. Olaniyan, Adesina Olaniyan, and Bayo Alade, representing the three convicts, urged the court to dismiss the charges, arguing that the prosecution’s evidence was hearsay.
The judge however , discountenanced the submissions of the defence and upheld the death sentence for the three convicts.(NAN)
