Justice Suleiman Akanbi of the Kwara State High Court has delivered a chilling judgement, sentencing one man named Kazeem Mohammed to death by hanging for orchestrating the murder and dismemberment of his neighbour, Olokose Ojo Olushola, in a gruesome ritual killing.
The victim, in his 30s, was tragically killed just days before his planned wedding.
Kazeem Mohammed, along with three others – Madu Jeremiah, Mohammed Chatta, and Jimoh Abdullateef – stood trial on eight counts of criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, illegal possession of firearms, illegal removal of human parts, and kidnapping.
The police presented evidence that the defendants committed the heinous act against Olokose, a staff member of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Unit at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), in May 2021. Subsequently, the victim’s body was found with some parts missing, stuffed into a sack.
“The attackers collected his ATM card and withdrew N1.2m from his bank account. They further demanded N12m ransom from the family before they were arrested.’‘ the police said
Delivering judgement, Justice Akanbi said
“Despite killing the deceased, the defendants still demanded for ransom from the family; making it appear their victim was alive and held hostage by kidnappers.”
In his lengthy and impassioned judgement, Justice Akanbi pronounced the most severe punishment on the first defendant, Kazeem Mohammed, who was identified as the mastermind behind the chilling murder. He was sentenced to death by hanging. Additionally, the court handed Kazeem an additional 20-year imprisonment, to be served concurrently with a N200,000 fine for the other counts, as well as life imprisonment for the charge of kidnapping.
The second and third defendants, Madu Jeremiah and Mohammed Chatta, were found guilty and sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment each, with a N100,000 fine imposed for two counts. Madu Jeremiah also received an additional three-year imprisonment, along with a N200,000 fine.
However, in a turn of events, the fourth defendant, Jimoh Abdullateef, was discharged by the judge on all counts. The court concluded that the prosecution had failed to establish his involvement in the crime beyond reasonable doubt.
