Man to hang for killing Ekiti monarch

The Ekiti State High Court in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced to death by hanging one Omoniyi Stephen who killed a monarch, Odo Oro-Ekiti, Oba Gbadebo Olowoselu, in Ikole LGA.

Justice Kayode Ogundana, in his judgement, said the prosecuting counsels led by Adegboyega Morakinyo proved their case beyond reasonable doubt.

Stephen was arraigned on a one-count charge of murder.

The charge sheet reads in part: “Omoniyi Ademola Stephen, on the 20th day of August, 2018, at Odo-Oro Ekiti in Ikole Ekiti Judicial Division, murdered His Royal Majesty, Oba Gbadebo Ibitoye Olowoselu ll, the Onise of Odo-Oro Ekiti in Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State.”

One of the chiefs who testified before the court said, “We were at the palace on that day for an Onise-in-Council meeting, around 7am. Before the commencement of the meeting, Omoniyi Ademola Stephen entered the palace and sat on kabiyesi’s seat. The chiefs frowned at his action and drove him away. After the meeting, the Onise and his male clerk were trekking back to the main palace, Ademola came out of hiding and attacked kabiyesi with a knife and stabbed him to death. Before that day, he had been parading himself as the king of the town.”

The state counsel, Adegboyega Morakinyo, called four other witnesses and tendered a medical report, statements of the convict, knife, rope, among others, as exhibits, while the convict spoke in his own defence through his counsel, Tope AmrSalami, and called no witness.

Justice Ogundana dispelled the notion that the defendant is insane, and consequently sentenced him to death by hanging.