Four men have been sentenced to death by hanging for offences bordering on armed robbery and murder of one Victor Akinbile, a relative of the immediate past Osun State Deputy Governor, Mr. Benedict Alabi by the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo on Monday.
The convicts, Hammed Rafiu, 37; Rasidi Waidi, 39; Kayode Sunday, 29; and Owolabi Bashiru, 54; were first arraigned before Justice Jide Falola on October 23, 2019, on six counts of armed robbery and murder, while pleaded not guilty to the offenses.
Dele Akintayo, Prosecution Counsel from the state Ministry of Justice, while narrating the facts of the case, said Akinbile had come to Osun on November 26, 2018, for the swearing-in ceremony of the former governor, Adeboyega Oyetola, and went to Ikirun to pass the night when he was abducted by the four men.
Akintayo said that the four men, who are armed with dangerous weapons, forcefully gained entrance into the victim’s room and demanded a sum of N10 million, adding that Akinbile eventually transferred N3 million to a bank account belonging to one of the assailants and also gave them the cash he had with him.
The counsel said after collecting the money, he was locked in the trunk of his Toyota Camry by the four men and was driven to a spot along the Osogbo/Ikirun road and set his vehicle ablaze.
Justice Falola, in his judgment, said the prosecution’s counsel had proved his case beyond doubt and sentenced the four men to death by hanging, adding that the cash recovered from the convicts and the cash in their bank accounts should be handed over to the widow of the deceased.
He also said that none of the convicts should benefit from any state pardon due to the gravity of the offence they committed.