Man who killed Osun motorcyclist to die by hanging
One Sunday Palms , who killed a commercial motorcyclist and stole his motorcycle in Ikire, Osun State , has been sentenced to death by hanging .
The Osun State Chief Judge , Adepele Ojo , found the accused guilty of murder and sentenced him to death by hanging .
Palms was said to have committed the offence on August 20 , 2006 , when he lured one Isiaka Rafiu , a commercial motorcyclist , to the bush in Ikire, the headquarters of Irewole Local Government Area of the state , killed him and stole his motorcycle .
The accused was first arraigned on December 8 , 2014 , on one count of murder.
The offence , according to Solicitor General of Osun State , Mr Dapo Adeniji , who led the prosecution team from the state Ministry of Justice , is contrary to and punishable under Section 319 of the Criminal Code , Cap . 3 , Laws of Osun State, 2002 .
Adeniji , who called three witnesses , also tendered statements that were later admitted as evidence by the court .
Addressing the court during the course of the trial , Adeniji explained that on August 20 , 2006 , one Isiaka Rafiu , a commercial motorcyclist went missing .
He said Rafiu ’ s remains were later found some days after on a footpath , adding that there were marks on the corpse that suggested that he must have struggled with someone before he was overpowered and killed .
One of the confessional statements of the convict read in part , “ I saw the boy riding okada . I stopped him and asked him to take me to the farm along the Gbogban Road, Ikire . On getting to the farm , I asked him to stop.
“ Before leaving my house , I took along a knife and kept it in a polythene bag .
Later , I tripped him and I took the knife and cut his neck . After I saw that he was dead , I left him and went away with his motorcycle. ”
Justice Ojo , in her judgement , declared that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and passed the guilty verdict on the accused.
She subsequently ordered that Palms be hanged .
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