An Ondo State High Court in Akure has sentenced a vulcaniser, Wasiu Ibrahim, to death by hanging for the murder of Joseph Odunayo over the alleged theft of a mobile phone.
Justice Ademola Enikuomehin found Ibrahim guilty of murder and conspiracy to murder, ruling that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. The court also sentenced him to two years' imprisonment for conspiracy.
According to the prosecution, the incident occurred on December 31, 2024, along Continental Road in Akure after Odunayo was accused of stealing an Infinix phone belonging to Lekan Falohun. The phone was reportedly stolen on December 25, 2024.
Prosecuting counsel D.S. Msonter-Shagba told the court that Odunayo was apprehended by Falohun, Ibrahim and others. He was allegedly forced to lead them to the person who had bought the phone. During the search, Odunayo reportedly jumped from a moving motorcycle and sustained injuries.
The court heard that after he was recaptured, he was tied up and repeatedly beaten by Ibrahim, Falohun and other suspects who remain at large. Witnesses testified that the assault continued despite 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. Another witness, Bose Ojo, testified that she saw Ibrahim push the victim out of a vehicle before repeatedly striking him with a plank.
The prosecution also told the court that police officers declined to detain the severely injured victim when he was brought to a station because of his condition and instead directed that he be taken to a hospital. Odunayo later died at a police clinic.
Although no autopsy was conducted, Justice Enikuomehin held that eyewitness testimony and the sequence of events established that the injuries sustained during the assault caused Odunayo's death.
The judge dismissed Ibrahim's claim that he was only an okada rider hired to transport Falohun and the deceased and was not involved in the attack. He held that eyewitness accounts identifying Ibrahim as one of the assailants remained consistent throughout the trial.
Justice Enikuomehin also condemned mob justice and extrajudicial punishment, describing them as unacceptable under the rule of law. He urged the police to intensify efforts to arrest Falohun and the other suspects still at large.
Delivering the sentence, the judge said, "You, Wasiu Ibrahim, shall be hanged by the neck until you are dead, and may the good Lord have mercy upon you."
