An Ondo State Chief Magistrate Court in Akure has remanded Sunday Clement, a 24-year-old labourer, in prison custody for the alleged beheading of farmer Taye Alatoye. Clement, who confessed to the gruesome act, attributed it to the influence of hard drugs.
The incident unfolded on September 4, 2023, in the serene community of Ofosu, located in the Idanre Local Government Area of the state. Both Clement and Alatoye were en route to their respective farms when tragedy struck. Clement inexplicably moved backward, brandishing a sharpened cutlass, and swiftly severed Alatoye’s head from his body, leaving it hanging in a grotesque manner.
Mary Adebayo, the prosecutor, stated that Clement had been charged with murder, citing violations of Sections 316 and 319 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 37 Vol. II Law of Ondo State, 2006. She implored the court to remand the defendant in the Olokuta Correctional Centre, Akure, until further advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Chief Magistrate Folasade Aduroja, presiding over the case, granted the prosecutor’s request. She ordered the defendant’s remand in prison and directed the duplication of the case file for submission to the Director of Public Prosecutions. The case has been adjourned until November 28, 2023, for further proceedings.
In a startling revelation, Clement, while pleading for forgiveness, attributed his heinous act to the influence of hard drugs, stating, “We were both going, and we greeted each other on the path. The spirit just came over me to cut off Taye’s head. I can’t actually say what led to it. I think it was the ‘Ice’ I took in the hot sun.”
