By BANNERNEWS Reporter, Akure
An Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure has sentenced a vulcaniser, Wasiu Ibrahim, to death by hanging for the murder of Joseph Odunayo, who was beaten to death after being accused of stealing a mobile phone.
Justice Ademola Enikuomehin convicted Ibrahim on Monday on charges of murder and conspiracy, holding that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. The court also sentenced him to two years imprisonment for conspiracy.
The prosecution, led by D.S. Msonter-Shagba, told the court that the incident stemmed from the alleged theft of an Infinix phone belonging to Lekan Falohun on December 25, 2024. Odunayo was accused of the theft and was later apprehended by Falohun, Ibrahim and others.
Evidence showed that the victim was forced to lead his captors to the alleged buyer of the phone. Although he briefly escaped by jumping from a moving motorcycle, he was recaptured on December 31, tied up and brutally beaten by Ibrahim and other suspects still at large.
Witnesses testified that the assault continued despite repeated pleas from family members and community leaders. The deceased’s brother, Emmanuel Sunday, told the court that Ibrahim continued beating Odunayo even after he had collapsed, while another witness, Bose Ojo, said she saw the convict repeatedly strike the victim with a wooden plank.
The court heard that police officers declined to detain the severely injured victim because of his condition and directed that he be taken to hospital. He later died at a police clinic.
Although no autopsy was conducted, Justice Enikuomehin ruled that the eyewitness evidence and surrounding circumstances clearly established that the brutal assault caused Odunayo’s death. He dismissed Ibrahim’s claim that he was merely an okada rider hired by the deceased and Falohun.
Condemning mob justice as a dangerous affront to the rule of law, the judge urged the police to intensify efforts to arrest Lekan Falohun and other suspects still on the run. He then pronounced the sentence: “You, Wasiu Ibrahim, shall be hanged by the neck until you are dead, and may the good Lord have mercy upon you.”
