After two years of trial, justice was served on Monday as an Abeokuta High Court in Ogun State delivered a verdict in a gruesome triple murder case, sentencing three men to death by hanging.
The convicts — Lekan Adekanbi, Ahmed Odetola, and Waheed Adeniyi — were found guilty of brutally murdering a family of three in the early hours of January 1, 2023 in their highbrow Ibara GRA, Abeokuta.
The deceased are Mr. Kehinde Fatinoye, a retired staff of Central Bank of Nigeria, his wife, Bukola Fatinoye, a staff of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) and their only child, Oreoluwa, 21-year-old.
They were driven from church after the crossover service to their duplex home by the driver with two of the assassins positioned to launch attack on arrival.
The accused were first arraigned in February 2024, along with six other defendants, including Adekanbi’s wife, Temitope Fadairo, and his mother, Adenike Adekanbi.
After a thorough trial which lasted about two years, the court handed down the death sentence to the three convicted men.
The defendants faced a 24-count charge, including conspiracy to commit armed robbery, murder, arson, and perverting the course of justice.
Despite pleading not guilty, Justice Basirat Adebowale found the trio guilty of nine counts, ruling that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.
“The evidence is overwhelming. For killing father, mother, and son, you do not deserve mercy.
“You shall be hanged by the neck until you die or executed by lethal injection. May God have mercy on your soul,” the judge handed down the verdict.
Other defendants received varying sentences — Temitope Fadairo was sentenced to two years in prison for aiding her husband’s escape, while Adenike Adekanbi received a one-year sentence for providing false information to the police.
Azeez Usman, the welder who dismantled the stolen Hyundai vehicle, was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Anuoluwapo Owolaja also received a two-year jail term, while two other suspects—Abass Odetola and Lukman Adewusi—were discharged.
During the trial, prosecuting counsel, Mrs. Adefisoye Temilola told the court that Adekanbi orchestrated the attack, conspiring with Odetola and Adeniyi to rob and kill the Fatinoye family.
Armed with a gun, hammer, and cutlass, the trio stole N1.102 million from Mr. Fatinoye and his Hyundai vehicle worth N12 million.
They also took Mrs. Fatinoye’s phones valued at N1 million.
The court heard how Adeniyi slit Mr. Fatinoye’s throat while Adekanbi bludgeoned Mrs.Fatinoye with a sledgehammer before slitting her throat.
Persecondnews recalls that the killers, in a bid to cover up their tracks, had set fire to the house, abducted Oreoluwa after tying his hands and legs before throwing him into Ogun River along the Nigerian Navy Secondary School-Adigbe-Obada road, leaving him to drown.
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