Herdsman to Die By Hanging in Ekiti for Killing Colleague

Herdsman to Die By Hanging in Ekiti for Killing Colleague

By Victor Ogunje

An Ekiti State High Court in Ado Ekiti has sentenced a 25-year -old herdsman, Mohamodu Haruna, to death by hanging for killing his colleague.

Pronouncing the death sentence yesterday while delivering his judgement, Justice Adekunle Adeleye said: “There are no surrounding circumstances that destroyed the cogency of the circumstantial evidence led against the accused person.

“He is caught in the web of the last seen theory. In the result, I find the defendant guilty as charged. He is sentenced to death by hanging.”

During the trial, the prosecutor, Shirley Atanel, said the offence was committed on February 12, 2018, at Odo Uro, Iyin Ekiti in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state.

The accused person was said to have slaughtered his herder-colleague, Mohamadu Usman, which was contrary to Section 516 of the Criminal Code Law CAP C16, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.

An eye witness gave a testimony that he saw two herdsmen coming with their cows while he was on his motorcycle and later discovered that one of them was returning a blood stained machete into its sheath, while the other one lied face down in the pool of his own blood with cut on his neck.

To prove his case, the prosecutor called four witnesses, including the Investigation Police Officer (IPO) during the trial.

Exhibits tendered were the accused confessional statements, photographs of the deceased butchered neck and a blood stained machete.

The accused person was defended by his lawyer, Yinka Opaleke, who called no witness during the trial.

Related Articles